SH 11 
.05 

1916a 
Copy 1 



DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

BUREAU OF FISHERIES 

HUGH M. SMITH, -Commissioner 



COMMERCIAL FISHERIES OF THE UNITED STATES AND 

THE OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 

IN CONNECTION THEREWITH DURING 

FISCAL YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 1916 



CONTENTS 



Fresh- Water Mussel Fishery . 
Fisheries of Lake Pepin and Lake Cooper 
Crab Industry of Maryland and Virginia 
Shad and Alewife Industry of Chesapeake Bay and 
Tributaries ....... 

Coastal Fisheries of New York and New Jersey 
Shad Fishery of the Hudson River 
New England Vessel Fisheries 
Pacific Halibut and Cod Fisheries 
Promotion of American Caviar 
Introduction of New Aquatic Foods 



Page 

50 

58 
60 

65 
72 
76 
76 
96 
97 
98 



[Extracted from the Report of the Commission:r of Fisheries 
to the Secretary of Commerce for the fiscal year ended June 30, 
1916, pages 50-100 ] 




Bureau of Fisheries Document No. 836b 



WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

1917 



Jftonograpb 



SHn 



COMMERCIAL FISHERIES. 



Investigations completed by the Bureau during the year, in 
addition to the work of local agents in collecting data tor important 
mussel fisheries on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, included canvasses 
of the fresh-water mussel fishery of the Mississippi River and its 
western tributaries from Kansas northward; the fisheries of Lakes 
Pepin and Cooper in the Mississippi River, the former between 
Minnesota and Wisconsin, and the latter at Keokuk, Iowa; the 
crab industry of Maryland and Virginia; the shad and alewife 
industry of Chesapeake Bay and tributaries; the coastal fisheries of 
Xew York and New Jersey, exclusive of shellfish, for 1915; and the 
shad fishery of the Hudson River for 1915 and 1916. The inquiries 
relating to the fresh-water mussel fishery in the region referred to, 
and those relating to the shad and alewife industry, were begun the 
latter part of the preceding fiscal year. 

FRESH-WATER MUSSEL FISHERY. 

The general canvass of the fresh-water mussel fishery, which has 
been in progress for several years, was completed during the past 
year. The streams covered were the Mississippi River and its 
western tributaries from Kansas northward, except the Neosho 
River in Kansas, which was included in the work of a previous year; 
and the data collected were for the calendar year 1914. A special 
bulletin giving the results of the canvass was issued and distributed. 
The number of persons engaged in the mussel fishery in these streams 
in 1914 was 1,873, and the investment in boats, fishing apparatus, 
and shore and accessory property amounted to $132,267. The 
products included 8,539 tons of shells, valued at $148,960, and pearls 
found in the mussels to the value of $62,902, a total of $211,862. All 
the shells were used in the manufacture of pearl buttons. The 
principal fishing apparatus used in taking mussels is the crowfoot 
bar, the catch with this appliance in this region amounting to 6,524 
tons of shells, valued at $120,859. The remainder of the catch was 
taken with forks, rakes, diggers, tongs, scoops, or basket rakes, and 
by hand while wading. 

Mississippi River. — The most important of these streams is the 
Mississippi River, the products of which amounted to 6,626 tons of 
shells, valued at $125,948, and $50,562 worth of pearls, a total of 
$176,510 in value. This shows a decline of about 58 per cent in 
quantity and 61 per cent in value oi the output of shells and pearls 
since 1903, the last previous year for which data are available. In 
view of the fact that the mussel fishery has been prosecuted in the 
Mississippi River for nearly 25 years, the decline in the output is 
not so surprising. Nearly 94 per cent of the river's catch in 1914 
was taken with crowfoot bars, and of the remainder 2 per cent were 
taken with forks, 2 per cent with rakes, and 2 per cent with diggers 
and tongs. Pishing with crowfoot bars Ls more vigorously prose- 
cuted in Lake Pepin than in any other portion oi the river. In many 
eases two rowboats or scows are connected by a bar or pole 10 to 15 
feet long, a gasoline boat pushing against the middle of the bar 

50 ... 

D«r oir D. 

FEB 19 1917 



REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 51 

eing used as the propelling power. The two small boats are pro- 
vided with 4 crowfoot bars, 3 of which are being fished while the 
fourth is having the mussels removed from it. Usually two men, 
but occasionally only one man, handle such an outfit. 

Mussel fishing on this river in 1914 was followed from Pine Bend, 
about 20 miles below St. Paul, Minn., to the mouth of the Missouri 
River, near Alton, IU., the fishing ending abruptly at that point. A 
few shells have been taken as far up the river as Bemidji, Minn., 
but no sale of them has ever been made. Probably the most pro- 
ductive portion of the river in 1914 was in the vicinity of Frontenac, 
Minn., where, within a few miles, the 45 men engaged caught C45 
tons of shells, valued at $10,570, and $2,100 worth of pearls and 
slugs. The beds near Maiden Rock, Wis., were also quite profitable, 
the output of 36 men amounting to 390 tons, valued at $6,630, and 
$2,100 worth of pearls. Lake Pepin as a whole produced 1,932 tons 
of shells, valued at $31,486, and $11,820 worth of pearls. It is said 
that there were at least 1 ,000 men fishing for mussels in Lake Pepin 
in 1911, the catch amounting to about 4,000 tons, compared with 
an output of less than 2,000 tons in 1914 taken by 281 fishermen. 

In 1900, when the first mussel fishing was done at Red Wing, Minn., 
there were said to have been 75 boats at work on the beds there, 
compared with 8 boats in 1914. The first mussel fishing at New 
Albin, Iowa, was in 1899, when there were at least 20 men working 
on the beds, which yielded an average day's catch per man of 
several thousand pounds, compared with 150 to 200 pounds now. 
In the early days of the fishery very few shells other than nigger- 
heads were saved. As recently as 1910 as many as 70 or 80 men 
worked on the mussel beds opposite New Boston, III., while in 1914 
only 15 men were engaged and small catches were made. There 
were 15 or 18 mussel fishermen out of Quincy, 111., in 1900, while in 
1915 there were none, this being due both to overfishing and to the 
building of dams and dikes by the Government to preserve the chan- 
nel of the river. Similar changes have taken place at Canton, Mo., 
where a button factory is located, but the shell supply is obtained 
from various parts of the Mississippi Valley. The mussel beds in 
the vicinity of Prairie du Chien a few years ago were the most pro- 
lific by far of any in the entire river, but in 1914 the catch of 100 
men in that vicinity amounted to only 385 tons, valued at $6,872, 
and $5,500 worth of pearls and slugs. 

A great decline has taken place also in the beds near Muscatine, 
Iowa, where the industry was first established in 1891. The near ex- 
haustion of the beds in this vicinity has caused many of the local fisher- 
men to seek un worked mussel streams in various parts of the country. 

The catch of the Mississippi River as a whole was divided among 
the different species approximately as follows: Niggerheads, 25 per 
cent; three-ridges (including blue-points), 23 percent; wartybacks, 
13 per cent; muckets, 13 per cent; pig-toes, 6 percent; washboards, 
6 per cent; pocketbooks, 3 per cent; yellow sand-shells, 2 per cent; 
Missouri niggerheads, 2 per cent; pistol-grips, 2 per cent; and mon- 
key-faces, 1 per cent. The remaining 4 per cent consist of black sand- 
shells, ladyfingers, bullheads, and a few other unimportant species. 

Cedar River. — The catch of this river was apportioned among the 
different forms of apparatus as follows: 54 per cent with forks, 22 
per cent with hands while wading, 18 per cent with crowfoot bars, 
and the remainder with rakes. Muckets predominated in the catch, 



52 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OP FISHERIES. 

with a percentage of 57. The remainder was divided as follows: 
Three-ridges and blue-points, 18 per cent; pocketbooks, 10 per cent; 
warty-backs, 3 per cent; pigtoes, 1 per cent; and a few each of pistol- 
grips, black sand-shells, butterflies, maple-leaves, and other unim- 
portant species. 

A few pearls and slugs were taken from this river as far up as 
Osage, Iowa, in 1914, but Charles City, Iowa, and vicinity was the 
upper limit of shell fishing. The most productive beds were in the 
vicinity of Cedar Rapids. This was also the lowest point on the 
river where shells were taken. The catch of 15 men in that locality 
amounted to 130 tons, valued at $2,020, and $975 worth of pearls 
and slugs. 

The first mussel shells were taken for market from this river in 1905 
near Vinton, where a button factory was established about that time 
and operated for several years. 

Des Moines River. — More than 75 per cent of the river's output is 
taken between Ottumwa, Iowa, and about 15 miles below that city. 
Forty-five tons of shells were taken from the east fork of the river 
as far north as between Bert and Bancroft, this being the first year in 
which work was done on that branch of the river. The lowest point 
at which shells were taken was near Keosaaqua, Iowa, an output of 17 
tons being shown for that vicinity. The prevailing species were 
three-ridges (including blue-points), warty-backs, muckets, and pig- 
toes, with percentages of 45, 18, 15, and 13, respectively. The 
remainder was made up of pistol-grips, maple-leaves, monkey-faces, 
lady-fingers, pocketbooks, etc. About 63 per cent of the catch was 
made with forks, 29 per cent with hands while wading, and the 
remainder with rakes. The first record of any shells being taken 
from this river was near Keosauqua in 1910. 

James River. — This river, said to be the longest unnavigable river 
in the United States, supported mussel fisheries from Riverside, 
S. Dak., to within a few miles of its mouth — Yankton, S. Dak. The 
most prolific beds were between Milltown and Olivet, S. Dak., 
and those located a few miles above and below Yankton. The total 
output of the river in 1914 amounted to 260 tons, valued at $3,498, 
and $700 worth of pearls and slugs. Twenty-seven persons were 
engaged in the fishery and had an investment of $1,460, including 
apparatus, boats, and shore property. About 90 per cent of the 
catch was taken with scoops, or basket rakes, and the remainder with 
forks and by hand. The output was composed of 85 per cent three- 
ridges (including blue-points), 10 per cent fat muckets, and the 
remainder maple-leaves, pocketbooks, and heel-splitters. The first 
record of any mussel fishing being done in the James River was in 1912. 
Pearls, however, were taken several years previously. 

Osage and Marais des Cygnes Rivers. — The Osage and Marais des 
Cygnes Rivers arc treated as one, the latter being the name given to 
that portion of the river flowing through Kansas. Forty men, with 
an investment of $1,261, were engaged in shelling on this river from 
near Trading Post, Kans., as far down as Warsaw, Mo. The total 
output in 1914 amounted to 204 tons of shells, with a value of $2,111, 
and $380 worth of pearls. About 37 per cent of the catch was made 
with forks, 26 per cent with hands while wading, 22 per cent with 
crow foot bars, and the remainder with diggers and tongs. The out- 
put was apportioned among the different species as follows: Three- 



REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 53 

ridges (including blue-points), 43 per cent; washboards, 17 per cent; 
pig-toes, 15 per cent; muckets, 12 per cent; and a few each of warty- 
backs, monkey-faces, lady-fingers, pistol-grips, maple-leaves, and but- 
terflies. The most prolific beds were those between Warsaw and 55 
miles above that town, 22 men working on these beds obtaining 110 
tons, with a value of $1,540, and $100 worth of pearls. 

^Yapsipinicon River. — Mussel fishing on this river in 1914 extended 
from Independence as far down as Anamosa, Iowa. The total output 
was 132 tons, valued at $1 ,797, together with $765 worth of pearls and 
slugs. The 37 persons engaged had an investment, in apparatus, 
boats, and shore property, of $811. More than 50 per cent of the 
catch was made with forks, the remainder being taken by hand 
while wading, and with crowfoot bars, and rakes. The catch was 
divided among the different species as follows: 71 per cent muckets, 
15 per cent blue-points and three-ridges, 10 per cent pocketbooks, 
and the remainder warty-backs, squaw-foots, pig-toes, and heel- 
splitters. The first mussel fishing on this river of which there is 
any record was in 1908. 

Iowa River. — The total output of this river in 1914 was 93 tons of 
shells, valued at $1,038, and $2,975 worth of pearls and slugs. The 
86 persons engaged had an investment of $345 in apparatus, $500 in 
boats, and $300 in shore property. More than one-half of the shells 
were taken with hands while wading, about 25 per cent with forks, 
and the remainder with crowfoot bars and rakes. The shells were 
apportioned among the various species as follows: 42 per cent muck- 
ets, 30 per cent pocketbooks, 20 per cent three-ridges (including blue- 
points), and the remainder divided among warty-backs, squaw-foots, 
Eistol-grips, black sand-shells, maple-leaves, pig-toes, lady-fingers, 
eel-splitters, and butterflies. Pearls were found as far up the river as 
Popejoy, but the upper limit of mussel fishing was near Eldora, from 
which place it was followed at intervals as far down the river as North 
Liberty. The first mussels for commercial use were taken from this 
river in 1908. 

Minnesota River. — Mussels were taken at intervals along this river 
in 1914 from Montevideo, Minn., to within a short distance of its 
mouth, the total output amounting to 118 tons of shells, valued at 
$1,254, and $455 worth of pearls. The 13 men engaged had $120 
invested in apparatus, $280 in boats, and $145 in shore property. 
The most important catch was made in the vicinity of New Ulm, 
Minn. The entire output of the river was taken with crowfoot bars, 
and was composed of 56 per cent three-ridges (including blue-points), 
27 per cent muckets, 6 per cent washboards, 5 per cent warty-backs, 
and a few each of niggerheads, pig-toes, and pistol-grips. The first 
commercial fishing in the Minnesota River was done near its mouth 
in 1905 by a few fishermen from the Mississippi River, who remained 
only a short time. Work was followed up more steadily from 1909. 

Meramec River. — Mussel shells were taken from the Meramec River 
in 1914 at various localities between St. Clair and Valley Park, Mo., 
the total output amounting to 90 tons, valued at $830, and $465 
worth of pearls and slugs. The 30 fishermen engaged had an invest- 
ment of $280 in apparatus, boats, and shore property. Nearly nine- 
tenths of the mussels were taken by hand and the remainder with 
crowfoot bars. Muckets composed about 43 per cent, three-ridges 



54 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 

26 per cent, washboards 8 per cent, and warty-backs and pistol-grips, 
or buckhorns, 7 per cent each of the catch, the balance being made 
up of pig-toes, niggerheads, maple-leaves, and monkey-faces. The 
first commercial fishing on this river was in 1910. 

Blue River. — Some mussel fishing was done on this river near Beat- 
rice, Nebr., in 1914, a total catch of 55 tons of shells, valued at $770, 
being reported. 

South Skuvk River. — The 5 fishermen on this river caught 43 tons 
of mussel shells, valued at $602, and $310 worth of pearls and slugs 
from the South Skunk River near Oskaloosa, Iowa, in 1914. Some 
shells were taken from the Skunk River proper in 1913, but none in 
1914. 

Shell Rock River. — Mussels were taken from this river between 
Marble Rock and Shell Rock, Iowa, the total output, however, being 
only 32 tons, valued at $354, and $210 worth of pearls and slugs. 
Only 6 men were engaged on the entire stream in 1914. One-half of 
the catch was made with forks, and the remainder with hands, crow- 
foot bars, and rakes. The different species were found in the follow- 
ing proportions: Pocketbooks, 47 per cent; muckets, 43 per cent; 
blue-points, or three-ridges, 8 per cent; and a few squaw-foots. No 
shelling was done on the river previous to 1908. 

Cottonwood and Bourbeuse Rivers. — The two remaining streams in 
the region canvassed were the Cottonwood and Bourbeuse Rivers. 
Shells were taken on the former river at Cottonwood Falls, Kans., 
and on the latter near St. Clair, Mo., the combined catch of the two 
rivers amounting to 65 tons, valued at $430, and $60 worth of pearls 
and slugs. 

Statistics of the mussel fishery. — Complete statistics for all of the 
mussel-bearing streams of the Mississippi Valley show a total of 
10,331 persons engaged in the fishery, an investment of $540,608, 
and a catch of 51,571 tons of shells, valued at $825,776, together with 
$376,284 worth of pearls and slugs; the total value of the products 
amounting to $1,202,060. Statistics of the mussel fishery of the 
Mississippi River and its western tributaries from Kansas northward 
for 1914, and of the entire Mississippi Valley in three sections for 
1912, 1913, and 1914, respectively, are given in the following tables: 



REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 



55 



Fresh-water Mussel Fishery of the Mississippi River and Its Western 
Tributaries from Kansas Northward in 1914. « 



Items. 


Blue River, 
Nebr., and 
Cottonwood 
River, Kans. 


Cedar Pes Moines 
River, ; River, 
Iowa. Iowa. 


Iowa 
River, 
Iowa. 


James 
River, 
S. Pak. 


Meramec 
and Bour- 

beuse 
Rivers, Mo. 


Persons engaged: 
Fishermen 


No. 

7 


Value. 


No. 

80 
10 


Value. 


No. Value. 
31 


No. 

86 


Value. 


No. 
27 


Value. 


No. 

32 


Value. 
























Total '... 


7 




90 




31 


SO 




27 




32 
4 








Fishermen, classified by meth- 
ods used: 






25 
77 
6 






20 

85 
40 
















31 

3 




2 


































Tones 








































25 
2 










7 




00 




30 


86 






32 








Total, exclusive of dupli- 
cation 


7 




SO 


$660 
265 


31 


86 

82 


$500 


27 

13 
9 


$245 
995 


32 

2S 




Boats: 


7 


$55 


74 
3 


31 


$295 


$130 


















































Total 


7 


55 


77 


925 


31 


295 


82 


500 


22 


1,240 


2S 


130 


Apparatus: 






25 

77 
(i 


365 

103 

6 






20 
85 
40 


200 
115 
30 






2 


20 


Forks 






31 
3 


44 
2 


2 


3 




Rakes 
































































15 


67 
























Total 






474 .... 


46 




345 




70 




20 
















10 




565 .... 


375 




300 




220 




150 








Total investment 




65 




1,964 .... 


716 




1,145 




1.530 




300 










Products: 
Shells— 






S7 
2(11 
20 


994 
3,316 






10 
23 
10 


110 
256 
110 




10 


90 


With forks do... 






911 


2,777 
325 


20 


240 










2S5 25 






With diggers or dredgers, 






































With scoops, or basket 
















232 

8 


3,162 
96 






With hands do. . . 


110 


1,120 


117 

485 


1,331 100 


1,300 


.",(! 


562 


90 


820 


Total 


110 


1,120 


5,926 336 


4,402 


93 


1,038 


260 


3, 498 


100 


910 










100 




3,665 .... 


2,305 




2, 97.5 




700 




475 












1,220 




9, 591 


6, 707 




4, 013 




4,198 




1,3S5 

















a Not including the Neosho River, shown in another table. 



56 



KEPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 



Fresh-water Mussel Fishery op the Mississippi River and Its Western 
Tributaries from Kansas Northward in 1914a — Continued. 



Items. 


Minnesota 
River, 
Minn. 


Mississippi 
River. 


Osage and 
Marais des 

Cygnes 
Rivers, Mo 
and Kans. 


Shell Rock 
and South 

Skunk 
Rivers, 

Iowa. 


Wapsipin- 

icon 

River, 

Iowa. 


Total. 


Persons engaged: 


No. 
13 


Value. 


No. 

1,383 

115 


Value. 


No. Value. 
39 


No. 
11 
1 


Value. 


No. 

35 

2 


Value. 


No. 

1,744 

129 


Value. 




1 














Total 


13 





1,498 




40 

8 
25 




12 




37 




1,873 








Fishermen, classified by 
methods used: 


13 




1,364 
48 






3 
10 
5 




15 

35 
2 




1,452 
313 
89 
11 
24 
25 
268 




Forks 










33 












9 
14 




2 
10 






Tongs 














































17 




5 




29 


















Total, exclusive of 
duplication 


13 




1,383 




39 




11 




35 




1,744 




Boats: 


9 

3 


$95 
185 


734 
731 
55 


$12,300 
72,755 
0,595 


32 
2 


$205 
650 


10 


$80 


35 
1 


$235 
100 


1, 055 
749 
55 


$14, 800 
74, 950 
0,595 






























Total 


12 


280 


1,520 


91,710 


34 


855 


10 


80 


36 


335 


1,859 


96 405 






Apparatus: 

Crowfoot bars pairs. . 

Forks 


10 


120 


1,405 
48 
23 
32 
14 


10,816 
103 

51 
104 

70 


8 
25 


80 
31 


3 
10 
5 


39 
13 
4 


15 

35 

2 


200 

44 

2 


1,488 
313 
79 
34 
14 
15 


17,840 
456 


Rakes 






95 


Diggers or dredgers 






2 


10 


174 


Tongs 














70 




















67 


























Total 




120 




17, 204 




121 




56 




246 




18, 702 




. 




Shore and accessory prop- 




145 




14, 795 




285 




85 




230 




17, 160 








Total investment 




545 


1 23 709 




1,261 




221 




811 




132, 207 




US 




' 




Products: 

Shells— 
With crowfoot bars, 


1,254 


6,216 
149 
132 

85 
44 


117, 238 
3,308 
3,049 

1,393 
960 


45 

75 


630 
730 


13 
41 
11 


168 
526 
150 


25 
72 

8 


375 
985 
100 


6,524 

852 
206 

105 
54 

232 
566 


120, 859 
12, 138 


With forks tons.. 


With rakes do... 






4,019 


With diggers or dredg- 
ers tons. . 






20 
10 


280 
140 


1,673 


With tongs do... 














1,100 


With scoops, or basket 
rakes tons.. 














3,162 












54 


331 


10 


112 


27 


337 


0,009 












Total 


118 


1,254 


6, 62G 


125,948 


204 


2,111 


75 


956 


132 


1,797 


8,539 


148, 960 




Pearls 




455 




50, 562 




380 




520 


.... 765 




62, 902 








Total value of prod- 
ucts 




1,709 




170,510 




2,491 




1,476 




2,562 





211,862 









a Not including the Neosho River, shown in another table. 



REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 
Fresh-water Mussel Fishery of the Mississippi Valley. 



57 



Items. 


Streams tribu- 
tary to Gulf of 
Mexico from Ohio 
Paver southward 
in 1912.a 


Streams tribu- 
tary to Great 
Lakes and Ohio 
and Mississippi 
Rivers north of 
the Ohio and east 
of the Mississippi 
River in 1913.6 


Mississippi River 
and its western 
tributaries from 
Kansas north- 
ward in 1914. c 


Total, d 


Persons engaged: 
Fishermen 


No. 
4,665 
91 
110 


Value. 


No. 
3,337 


Value. 


No. 
1,744 


Value. 


No. 
9,746 
91 
494 


Value. 


Transporters 










Shoresmen 




.. 255 




129 



















Total 


*4,866 




/3, 592 




9 1,873 | 


10,331 












Fishermen, classified by 
methods used: 


2,793 

364 

1,232 




2,216 

1,116 

513 

140 

63 

93 




1,452 

313 

24 

11 




6,461 

1,793 

1,769 

151 

106 

203 

25 

13 

2,263 




Forks 










Tongs 










Diggers 










Dredgers 


43 
21 
















89 
25 






Scoops, or basket rakes 










Miscellaneous apparatus 






13 
944 










1,051 






268 
















Total, exclusive of du- 
plication 


4,665 




3,337 




1,744 




9,746 














Boats and vessels: 
Rowboats and barges 


4,276 
446 
579 
25 


$26, 631 
59, 545 
46, 990 
56,265 


2,199 

1,031 

115 


S16, 712 
87, 320 
14,610 


1,055 
749 
55 


$14,860 
74,950 
6,595 


7,530 

2,226 

749 

25 


$58,203 
221 815 






Vessels transporting 


56, 265 












Total 


5,326 


189.431 


3,345 


118,642 


1,859 


96, 405 


10, 530 


404 478 






Apparatus: 

Crowfoot bars pairs . . 

Forks 


2,795 

364 

1,245 


31,896 

427 

7,321 


2,212 
1,103 
513 
102 
36 
S5 


24.395 

1,441 

2,796 

658 

63 

119 


1,488 

313 

14 

34 


17,840 

456 

70 

174 


6/495 
1,780 
1,772 
136 
55 
185 
15 


74,131 
2,324 
10 187 


Tongs 




832- 


Dredges 


19 
21 


1,500 
58 


1 563 




79 
15 


95 
67 


272 




67 


Miscellaneous apparatus.... 








9 


9 
















Total 




41,202 




29, 481 


' 18,702 1 


89,385 










10, 853 




18, 732 


, 17, 160 




46 745 








Total investment 




241, 486 




166, 855 


i 132,267 




540 608 








Products: 
Shells— 
With crowfoot bars, tons . . 

With forks do 

With tongs do 


14, 531 
1,277 
3,201 


210, 521 
15,283 
55, 568 


15,258 

3,292 

790 

1,733 

225 

161 


245, 477 
55, 757 
13,559 
28,200 
4,500 
2,856 


6,524 

852 

54 

105 


120, 859 
12,138 
1,100 
1 673 


36,313 

5,421 

4,045 

1,838 

528 

391 

232 

34 
2,769 


576, 857 

83,178 

70,227 

29, 873 

9 591 


With dredges do 


303 
24 


5,091 
379 




With scoops, or basket 


206 4,019 
232 3.162 


7,254- 
3 162 


With miscellaneous ap- 






34 
1,824 


453 
31,408 






453 


With hands do 


379 


7,764 


566 


6,009 


45, 181 


Total 


19, 715 


294, 606 


23,317 


382,210 


8,539 


148,960 


51,571 


825, 778 








149, 121 


J 164,261. 




62,902 ' 


376,284 












443, 727 


546,471 




211,862 




1,202 060 









a From Statistical Bulletin 305. This includes Neosho River, Kans. 

b From Statistical Bulletin 314. This does not include tributaries of the Ohio River in Ohio, data for 
which were shown in Statistical Bulletin 305. 

cFrom Statistical Bulletin 343. This does not include the Neosho River, Kans., data for which were 
shown in Statistical Bulletin 305. 

d Obtained by combining statistics for the three sections of the Mississippi Valley for 1912, 1913, and 1914, 
respectively. 

t Includes 56 women. 

;' Includes 253 women. 

g Includes 118 women. 



71824—17- 



58 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 

FISHERIES OF LAKE PEF1X AM) LAKE COOPER. 

Lake Pepin. — Lake Pepin, an expansion of the Mississippi River 
between Minnesota and Wisconsin, is nearly 25 miles long and 3 
miles wide at its greatest breadth. It supports quite extensive 
fisheries. Pepin, Wis., is the most important town in the extent of 
its fisheries along the lake. Maiden Rock, Wis., also supports impor- 
tant fisheries. 

In 1914 there were 137 fishermen engaged in the industry, their 
total investment amounting to $43,599. The investment included 28 
gasoline boats, worth $7,625; 53 rowboats, valued at $1,300; 1 house- 
boat, valued at $100; 295 fyke nets, valued at $24,995; 14 seines, 
valued at $3,340; 664 anchored gill nets, valued at $4,421; 8 trap nets, 
with a value of $480; $3 worth of lines, and $1,335 worth of shore and 
accessory property. The total output of the lake amounted to 
758,670 pounds of fish, with a value to the fishermen of $33,719. 
Buffalofish, German carp, fresh-water drum, and catfish made up 94 
per cent of the value of the entire catch. The most important appa- 
ratus used was the fyke net, known locally as hoop net. The catch 
therewith amounted to 337,446 pounds of fish, valued at $18,973. The 
leading species included in the catch were buffalofish, fresh-water 
drum, German carp, suckers, and quillbacks, or white carp. Seines 
ranked next in importance with a catch of 291,216 pounds of fish, 
having a value of $8,219. German carp and buffalofish were the two 
leading species taken, the value of the two being more than three- 
fourths that of the entire seine catch. The catch by anchored gill 
nets amounted to 126,198 pounds, valued at $6,432. As in the case 
of seines, the principal species taken were the buffalofish and German 
carp. Trap nets and lines were also used, but the combined catch of 
the two amounted to only 3,810 pounds, with a value of $95. 

The fishery conditions on Lake Pepin have improved very much 
within the past 15 years by the opening up of the New York market 
during the winter season. Previously there was only a local demand 
for the fish. A considerable portion of the winter fishing is done 
through the ice. Comparatively few fish are handled during warm 
weather, as the demand is then very light. There is a close season 
along the lake in both Minnesota and Wisconsin from April 15 to 
June 15. 

Lake Cooper. — Lake Cooper, which is merely a widening of the 
Mississippi River formed by back water from the dam at Keokuk, 
Iowa, has a length of about 50 miles. 

There was a total of 105 men engaged in the fisheries of this lake 
during 1914. These men had an investment of $16,190, and caught 
661,135 pounds of fish, valued at $23,300. Buffalofish, German carp, 
and catfish contributed 94 per cent of the value of the total catch. 
The most important form of apparatus used was the fyke net, known 
locally as bait net. The catch by this form of net amounted to 
488,005 pounds, valued at $16,210/ The remainder of the catch was 
taken with lines and trammel nets. The most important species 
taken both in fyke nets and trammel nets were German carp and 
buffalofish. Catfish and German carp constituted the principal 
species taken on lines. 

The form of fyke net in general use on Lake' Cooper is much smaller 
than those used on Lake Pepin, having neither leader, wings, nor 



REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 



59 



heart, as have most of those on the latter lake. The Lake Cooper 
fyke, nets have from 4 to 7 hoops, 2\ feet in diameter. There was 
one set in the lake opposite Sandusky, Iowa, in 1914, however, which 
had 9 hoops, the largest being 11 and the smallest 7 feet in diameter. 
The total length of this net was 57 feet. 

Fisheries of Lake Pepin and Lake Cooper (Mississippi River) in 1914. 



Items. 



Persons engaged: 

Fishermen 

Shoresmen 



Total. 



Boats, apparatus, and other property: 

Gasoline boats 

Rowboats 

House-boats 

Fyke nets 

Seines 

Anchored gill nets 

Trammel nets 

Trap nets 

Trot and hand lines 

Shore and accessory property 



Total. 



Products by apparatus: 
With seines — 

ButTalofish pounds . 

Catfish do . . . 

Fresh-water drum do . . . 

German carp do . . . 

Mooneye, fresh do. . . 

Mooneye, smoked do... 

Quillback, or white carp do. . . 

Spoonbill cat, or paddleflsh do. . . 

Sturgeon, lake do. .. 

Suckers do... 



Lake I'epin. 



Number. 

135 

2 



28 

53 

1 

295 
14 

664 



Total. 



With fyke nets— 

Buffalofish pounds. 

Catfish do.. . 

Crappie do . . . 

Dogfish do. . . 

Fresh- water drum do. . . 

German carp do. . . 

Mooneye, fresh do. .. 

Mooneye, smoked do. . . 

Quillback, or white carp do... 

Spoonbill cat, or paddleflsh : do. . . 

Sturgeon, lake do . . . 

Suckers do. . . 

Sunfish do . . . 



Total. 



With anchored gill nets— 

Buffalofish pounds . 

Catfish do... 

Fresh-water drum do. . . 

German carp do. . . 

Quillback, or white carp do... 

Spoonbill cat , or paddleflsh do. . . 

Sturgeon, lake do. . . 



Total. 



With trammel nets — 

Black bass pounds . 

Buffalofish do. . . 

Catfish do... 

Crappie do . . . 

Fresh-water drum do. . . 

German carp do. . . 

Sturgeon, lake do. . . 



Total. 



13,550 

11,78.") 

42, 150 

137, 920 

3, 000 

365 

C 1 .77."> 

2,205 

(516 

3, 850 



Value. 



87,625 

1,300 

100 

24, 995 
3,340 
4,421 



Lake Cooper. 



Number. 
105 



36 

84 

10 

1.378 



480 
3 

1 . 335 



43,599 



291,216 



173. 450 
10, 975 



1,534 

85, 000 

30,547 

6,300 

1,100 

13, 305 

340 

405 

14,490 



337, 446 



44,250 
3,760 
1, 235 

69, 050 

1,525 

6,332 

46 



126, 198 



2, 354 

738 

400 

3, 967 

25 

16 

459 

13S 

73 

49 



8,219 



14.068 

713 



16 

1,964 

1,228 

63 

54 

378 

19 

50 

390 



18, 973 



3,306 
244 

21 

2,428 

27 

400 

6 



6, 432 



232,585 

18,415 

50 



21,455 
209, 715 



1,095 

4,640 

50 



Value. 



?3, 870 
1,250 
1,075 
5, 693 



304 



153 

3,845 



8,615 

1,258 

3 



642 

5,456 



69 

164 

3 



488,005 16,210 



15 

15, 230 

1,055 

20 

3,065 

61,885 

675 



1 

543 

69 

1 

108 

1,408 

40 



81,945 2,170 



60 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 

Fisheries of Lake Pepin and Lake Cooper (Mississippi River) in 1914 — Con. 



Items. 



Products by apparatus— Continued. 
With trap nets- 
Catfish pounds. 

Fresh-water drum do . . . 



Total. 



With trot and hand lines— 

Buffalofish pounds . 

Catfish do . . . 

Eels do. . . 



Fresh-water drum do. 

German carp do. 

Pike do. 

Sturgeon, lake do. 

Sunfish do. 



Total. 



Grand total . 



Product by species: 

Black bass pounds . 

Buffalofish do. . . 

Catfish do. . . 

Crappie do. . . 

Dogfish do . . . 

Eels do. . . 

Fresh-water drum do. . . 

German carp .do. . . 

Mooneye, fresh.'. do. . . 

Mooneye, smoked do. . . 

Pike. . '. do. . . 

Quillback, or white carp do... 

Spoonbill cat, or paddlefish do. . . 

Sturgeon, lake do . . . 

Suckers do . . . 

Sunfish do . . . 



Total. 



Lake Pepin. 



Number. 

235 

3,400 



50 



IT:. 



75S, 670 



261 

26 



250 
830 



1,531 



L31, 

2:-; 7. 



758,670 



\'aiii(. 
$15 



19, 728 
1,745 



Lake Cooper. 



Number. 



2, 085 

52, 065 

3,800 

2,340 

30, 765 



130 



91,185 



661,135 



249,900 
71,535 

711 



16 



2, 450 

7, 623 

88 

70 

5 

864 

557 

129 

139 



3,800 
26,860 

302, 365 



Value. 



894 
3, 528 

250 

77 
959 



12 



4,920 



23,300 



1 

9, 252 

4,855 

4 



250 
827 

7.S23 



1,900 
1,640 

50 



121 

164 

3 



33,719 I 661,135 23,300 



CRAB INDUSTRY OF MARYLAND AND VIRGINIA. 

The blue crab is one of the most valuable fishery resources of 
Chesapeake Bay. In no other body of water is this species so abun- 
dant and important. The increasing magnitude of the fishery has 
occasioned much concern among those solicitous for its future wel- 
fare, and there has been much discussion of the necessity for restric- 
tive measures in Maryland and Virginia. The Bureau desired to 
give the States full and reliable data on which to base any needed 
action; and accordingly it placed its agents in the field on November 
15, 1915, and on December 21, 1915, was able to issue a printed bul- 
letin containing detailed statistics of the industry for the calendar 
year 1915. This bulletin, which was very favorably received because 
of its timely appearance and valuable contents, was distributed to 
State legislators and fishery officials, to crab fishermen, dealers, and 
canners, and to all other interested persons. 

In Maryland the growth of the hard-crab industry has been quite 
marked during the past few years, owing to the increasing number of 
firms engaged in shipping crab meat. The soft-crab fishery has 
scarcely more than held its own. The crab industry of this State in 
1915 gave employment to 7,312 persons, of whom 4,053 were engaged 
in the shore or boat fisheries, 41 on fishing and transporting vessels, 
;iikI 3 ,$18 in the wholesale trade and canning industry. The invest- 



\ 



REPOKT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 61 

ment in vessels, boats, fishing apparatus, and shore and accessory 
property was $485,627. The wages paid in the wholesale and can- 
ning trades amounted to $191,840. The catch aggregated 90,281,646 
crabs in number, or 30,093,882 pounds, valued at $664,651. This 
includes 22,491,675 pounds of hard crabs, valued at $335,375, and 
7,602,207 pounds of soft crabs, valued at $329,276. The hard crabs 
were taken chiefly with trot lines, and smaller quantities with scrapes 
and scoop nets. The greater part of the catch of soft crabs was 
taken with scrapes and scoop nets, and the remainder with trot lines 
and seines. 

Crisfield still remains the center of both soft and hard crab indus- 
tries, about three-fourths of the entire crab catch of the State being 
handled and shipped from that place in a live condition or as crab 
meat. Many soft crabs are also brought here for shipment in the 
early spring from the western shore of Virginia. In 1915 there were 
47 firms in Crisfield and immediate vicinity handling soft crabs only, 
17 firms handling hard crabs only, 2 firms handling both soft and 
hard crabs, and 1 firm which canned soft crabs. Several of the soft- 
crab firms had branch houses at various localities throughout Som- 
erset and Dorchester Counties, Md., and Accomac County, Va., their 
products being brought to Crisfield for shipment. Most of the crabs 
caught on the western shore of Maryland are also brought by gasoline 
boats to Crisfield for shipment. With the exception of a few shipped 
by steamer for consumption in Baltimore, practically all of the soft 
crabs are sent by express from Crisfield. 

Somerset County leads all other counties in the production of 
crabs, the value of its output to the fishermen in 1915 amounting to 
$365,498, as compared with $130,136 for Dorchester, $106,480 for 
Talbot, $18,695 for Queen Anne, $14,210 for Anne Arundel, $12,385 
for Kent, $4,900 for Calvert, $3,425 for St. Mary, $1,850 for Wi- 
comico, $1,670 for Charles, and $1,000 for Baltimore. The value of 
the hard-crab industry far exceeds that of the soft-crab industry in 
all of the above counties except Somerset, where the conditions are 
reversed. All of the soft crabs except a few used for canning at 
Crisfield are shipped alive, while most of the hard crabs are utilized 
in the extraction of the meat, which is packed and shipped in tin 
buckets. There were only 3 firms in the State canning crabs in 1915, 
2 of these handling hard and 1 soft crabs; the combined output of 
these firms was 179,976 cans, including a few glass jars, having a 
value of $33,759. 

The crab industry of Virginia employed 2,978 persons and $367,150 
in invested capital. The catch amounted to 60,748,158 crabs in 
number, or 20,249,386 pounds, valued at $317,156; of these, 18,765,148 
pounds, valued at $242,754, were hard crabs, and the remainder, 
1,484,238 pounds, valued at $74,402, were soft crabs. The most 
important apparatus used for crabs in Virginia is the trot line, which 
took 14,042,861 pounds, valued at $135,817; dredges are next, with 
a catch of 4,196,000 pounds, valued at $94,928: the remaining hard 
crabs were taken by means of scrapes and scoop nets. Scoop nets 
constitute the most important apparatus used in the soft-crab 
fishery, the catch with these amounted to 867,797 pounds, valued at 
$47,362; scrapes are next in importance with 616,441 pounds, valued 
at $27,040. 



62 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 

Considering the relative importance of this industry by counties, 
Elizabeth City County ranks first with 5,040,840 pounds, valued at 
$78,533; Accomac County is next with 4,352,612 pounds, valued at 
$96,130. The former county has an excess of 688,228 pounds over 
the latter, but the value is $17,597 less. This is explained by the 
fact that Accomac County has quite an important soft-crab fishery, 
while Elizabeth City County has only hard crabs. The third in 
importance is York County, with 2,204,800 pounds, valued at $27,504; 
the fourth is Mathews County, with 1,997,760 pounds, valued at 
$18,221; the fifth is Norfolk County, with 1,959,000 pounds, valued 
at $21,772; the sixth is Northampton County, with 1,050,264 pounds, 
valued at $24,587. The remaining counties have less than 1,000,000 
pounds each. Accomac County leads in the production of soft crabs, 
the catch this year being 1 ,150,996 pounds, valued at $50,645. North- 
umberland County leads the western-shore counties in the produc- 
tion of soft crabs, the catch amounting to 166,390 pounds, valued at 
$12,564; Lancaster County, the next in point of importance, shows 
a catch amounting to 78,720 pounds, valued at $5,928. Great Wi- 
comico River region in the former county and Corrotoman River, a 
branch of Rappahannock River, in the latter county are regarded 
as quite productive and remunerative soft-crab waters, rendered more 
remunerative, probably, because of the fact that the soft crabs appear 
here earlier than on the eastern shore, in the Tangier Sound region, 
and the Crisfield dealers send boats over in the early spring for the 
catch. 

Crab fishing usually starts in Northumberland and Lancaster Coun- 
ties about the 15th or 20th of April, while the soft-crab season about 
Crisfield does not begin until about the middle of May. The catch, 
as well as the demand, diminishes about the early part of June, and 
many of the fishermen then seek other employment, although the 
Crisfield boats continue the trips practically throughout the season. 
These boats also call at other points on the western shore to make crab 
collections. Trot-line fishing is carried on with more or less impor- 
tance in every county along both the eastern and western shores, but 
at many points on the latter side the fishermen lack good shipping 
facilities, the only outlet being to Baltimore by steamer, and crabs 
thus shipped from some places one morning do not reach their desti- 
nation until the following morning. Many of the York County fish- 
ermen go to the lower part of the bay, where they consider the fishing 
Grounds to be more productive, and sell their catch to Hampton, 
ome little trot-line fishing is carried on by Princess Anne County 
fishermen living about Lynnhaven Inlet. They start in Lynnhaven 
River in early spring, before the crabs begin moving about, and get 
good prices for their early catch, but when the Hampton fishermen 
begin fishing the price usually drops, and as the Lynnhaven fisher- 
men are handicapped for want of convenient market they have about 
all abandoned crab fishing by early June. Hampton is, by far, the 
most important locality in the State for the crab industry, 33 of the 
56 vessels hailing from this region. There are 15 wholesale dealers 
here, 2 of whom handle canned crab meat. These dealers take prac- 
tically the entire catch of the dredge boats in addition to the trot-line 
catch of this (Elizabeth City) and other counties. 



EEPORT OF THE COMMISSIONEE OF FISHEBIES. 



63 



Crabs are canned only during the summer months, and the oralis 
used for this purpose are consequently taken by trot lines. The line 
fishing begins as soon as the water becomes warm enough to cause the 
crabs to move from the mud in which they have been bedded for the 
winter for protection from the cold, usually some time in April or 
early May, and continues through the summer until the cold forces 
the crabs to again seek the mud bottom. In some sections, however, 
the line fishing slackens during the extremely hot summer months, 
this being especially true of those places where the shipping facilities 
are not favorable. The dredging season usually opens some time 
during November, usually about the middle of the month, as soon 
as the crabs have bedded, and extends throughout the winter until 
the water warms sufficiently to start the crabs from their winter beds. 
Dredging is mostly done in the lower part of the bay, and sometimes 
outside the capes "when the sea is not too rough. The entire winter 
catch is picked and sold as fresh meat. Crab meat weighs 5 pounds 
to the gallon, and an average of 7 crabs will yield 1 pound of meat. 

A table showing the details of the industry in Maryland and Vir- 
ginia follows. There are given also comparative statistics of the catch 
for a number of years, beginning with 1880. The output in 1915 
was the largest for any year for which data are available, and the 
value then was 50 per cent more than in 1908, the last previous year 
for which the Bureau had collected complete returns. The informa- 
tion at hand, however, points to a catch in 1915 much short of that 
a few years before, and the climax of the fishery seems to have been 
reached about 1912. 



Crab Industry of Maryland 


and Virginia, 1915. 




Items. 


Maryland. 


Virginia. 


Total. 


Persons engaged: 
On vessels fishing 


Number. 

33 

8 

4,053 

3,218 


Value. 


Number. 
189 


Value. 


Number. 

222 

8 

5, 975 

4,085 


Value. 












1,922 

867 
























7,312 




2,978 




10,290 












Vessels, boats, apparatus, and other 
property: 


16 

94 

4 

26 

1,304 

3,053 


$5,450 


56 
497 


$139, 100 


72 

591 

4 

26 

1,587 

4,746 

182 
99 

30 
2,734 
2,411 
2,664 

29 


$144,550 








4,200 




4,200 










181,475 
119,245 


283 
1,693 

182 
18 

30 

250 

641 

1,139 


61,160 

28, 774 

4,511 

54 

720 

710 

317 

7,449 


242,635 


Apparatus vessel fisheries: 


148,019 
4,511 


Scrapes 

Apparatus shore fisheries: 


71 


183 


237 
720 




2,484 

1,770 

1,525 

29 


7,452 
874 

8,741 

111 

157, 896 


8, 162 




1,191 


Trot lines 


16,190 




111 






124,355 


282,251 












Total 




485,627 




367, 150 




852,777 


Products: 
Vessel fisheries — 
With dredges— Hard crabs, 






3,596,400 

11,804 
52,332 


81,246 

265 
2,355 


3,596,400 

38, 766 
138,104 


81,246 


With scrapes — 
Soft crabs do. . , . 


26,962 
85,772 


577 
3,875 


842 
6,230 


Total 


112,734 


4,452 


3,660,536 


&3,866 


3,773,270 


88,318 



64 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 

Crab Industry of Maryland and Virginia, 1915 — Continued. 



Items. 



Maryland. 



Virginia. 



Total. 



Products— Continued. 
Shore fisheries — 

With dredges— Hard crabs, 
pounds 

With scrapes — 

Hard crabs pounds. 

Soft crabs do. . . 

With scoop nets- 
Hard crabs do... 

Soft crabs do... 

With trot lines- 
Hard crabs do. . . 

Soft crabs do... 

With seines— Soft crabs. . . do. . . 

Total 



Number. 



1,444,435 
3,601,394 

1,100,422 
3,530,898 

19,919,856 

364,877 

19,266 



29,981,148 



Grand total . 



a30,093,882 



Wholesale and canning trade: 

Wages 

Barrels, boxes, cans, and packing 

materials used 

Crabs canned cans.. 



Value. 



$25, 190 
152, 626 

20,908 
157,024 

2S8, 700 
14,266 
1,485 



Number. 
599,600 

219, 086 
564,109 

295,397 
867, 797 

14,042,861 



660, 199 



16,588,850 



Value. 
$13, 682 

5,063 
24,685 

6,681 
47,362 

135,817 



Number. 
599,600 

1,663,521 
4,165,503 

1,395,819 
4,398,695 

33,962,717 

364,877 

19,266 



233,290 



46,569,998 



664,651 



620,249,386 317,156 



50,343,268 



191,840 
104,529 



67,012 
38, 553 



47S, 104 



Value. 
$13,682 

30,253 
177,311 

27,589 
204,386 

424,517 
14,266 
1,485 



893,489 



981,807 



258,852 

143,082 
91,465 



a 90,281,646 in number. 



b 60,748,158 in number. 



151,029,804 in number. 



Comparative Statistics op the Crab Product of Maryland and Virginia 
for Various Years from 1880 to 1915. 



Year. 



Maryland. 



Crabs, 


hard. 


Pounds. 


Value. 


1,166,667 


$46,850 


2,757,638 


36, 969 


2,674,675 


37,438 


2,388,099 


31,723 


2,776,898 


37, 460 


5,333,316 


39, 949 


9,824,793 


85,884 


12,665,282 


168,996 


12,786,000 


124,000 


22,491,675 


335,375 



Crabs, 


soft. 


Pounds. 


Value. 


(<0 


(") 


1,636,530 


$133,788 


2,208,829 


161,331 


4,056,110 


228,690 


4,828,872 


266, 256 


4,115,879 


177, 637 


4, 303, 5S2 


202,563 


5,732,865 


189,851 


7,587,000 


195,000 


7,602,207 


329,276 



Total. 



1880.. 

1887.. 
1888.. 
1890.. 
1891.. 
1897.. 
1901.. 
1904. . 
1908 6 
1915.. 



Pounds. 
1,166,667 

4,394,168 
4,883,504 
6,444,209 
7, ('.or,, 770 
9,449,195 
14,128,375 
18,398, I 17 
20.373,000 
30,093,882 



Value. 

$46,850 
170,757 
198,769 
260,413 
303,716 
217,580 
288,447 
358,847 
319,000 
664,651 



Year. 



Virginia. 



Crabs, hard. 



Crabs, 


soft. 


Pounds. 


Value. 


( a ) 
(«) 

m 

440, 310 

585, 956 

1,068,116 


r» 

(a) 

$26,054 
29, 379 
39, 914 


1,288,424 
1,910,654 


65,972 
92, 909 


2,082,000 
1,484,238 


87,000 
74,402 



Total. 



Grand total. 



1880.. 
1887.. 
1888.. 
1890.. 
1891.. 
1897.. 
1901.. 
1904.. 
1908 6 
1915.. 



Pounds. 

2, 139, 200 

626,820 

956,843 

2,584,794 

2,208,071 

5,331,398 

6,113,277 

10,356,052 

23,001,000 

18,765,148 



Value. 

$32,088 

15,479 

24,669 

28, 210 

32,683 

28,331 

52, 863 

179,575 

239, 000 

242, 754 



Pounds. 
2,139,200 

62ti, 821) 

956,843 
3,025,104 
2,794,027 
6,399,514 
7,401.701 
12,266,706 

25,083, > 

20,249,386 



Value. 

$32,088 

15,479 

24,669 

54,264 

62,062 

68,245 

118, S35 

272, 484 

326,000 

317,156 



Pounds. 

3,305,867 

5,020,988 

.-.,840,347 

9,469,313 

10,399,797 

15,848,709 

21,530,076 

30, 66,4,853 

45,456,000 

50,343,268 



Valiit . 
$78,938 
186,21 i 
223,438 
314,677 
365,778 
285,831 
407,282 
631,331 
645,000 
981,807 



a Statistics not available. 

6 The statistics for 1908 are from data published by the Bureau of the Census. 



REPORT OF T11L-: COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 05 

SHAD AND ALEWIFE INDUSTRY OF CHESAPEAKE BAY AND TRIBUTARIES. 

In view of the largo interests dependent on The peipetuatiou of the 
supply of shad and alewives, or river herring, in the Chesapeake Basin, 
the Bureau in 1915 made a complete canvass of the industries con- 
nected with these fishes, for the purpose of being in position to sub- 
stantiate the often expressed opinion that radical action was demanded 
of the States in order to prevent commercial extermination. The 
results of the canvass were promptly published in a statistical bul- 
letin, which was at once sent to the governors and legislators of Mary- 
land and Virginia, accompanied by three large charts showing the 
actual location of each pound net and gill not set for shad in 1915 on 
certain sections of the western shore of Virginia. The data thus 
supplied are thought to have influenced the Virginia Legislature, in 
its closing hours, to pass an act, effective in 1917, which will have the 
effect of permitting a larger portion of the run of spawning fish to 
reach their spawning grounds. This act, if its object is realized, will 
supplement in an effective way the protection that has heretofore 
been afforded to the migrating fish by the War Department through 
the insistence that certain lanes for navigational purposes shall be left 
in the maze of set nets on the shores of Chesapeake Bay and its major 
tributaries. 

The fishery for alewives is closely connected with that for shad, 
the same apparatus being used and the seasons being coincident . The 
canvass therefore included the alewives as well as the shad, and the 
published bulletin, herein reprinted, gives the statistics of both 
fisheries. 

The catch of shad in Maryland in 1915, compared with that of 1909, 
the latest previous year for which statistics are available, declined 
more than 50 per cent in quantity and about 29 per cent in value, 
and the catch of alewives decreased nearly 47 per cent in quantity 
and about 15 per cent in value. Chesapeake Bay, in Maryland, 
showed a decline of about 45 per cent in the shad catch and 31 per 
cent in the alewife catch. A still larger decrease occurred in some 
of the more important rivers. In the Susquehanna River, in Mary- 
land and Pennsylvania, there was a decrease of 88 per cent in the 
shad and 88 per cent in the alewife catch. In the Choptank River 
and tributaries there was a decrease of 83 per cent in the catch of 
shad and 84 per cent in that of alewives. In the Potomac River the 
shad catch decreased 11 per cent and the alewife catch 74 per cent. 
In the Northeast River, which was the only one of importance which 
did not show a decided decline in these species, the catch ol shad fell 
off less than 10 per cent and that of alewives increased 47 per cent. 

The catch of shad in the Patuxent River in 1915 amounted to 1,118 
in number, compared with 7,485 in 1909, 9,577 in 1904, 43,000 in 
1901, and 52,354 in 1896, the onlv years for which statistics are 
available. The alewife catch fell off from 796,300 in 1909 to 20,400 
in 1915. 

The Elk River has never been a prolific shad stream, but has always 
furnished large quantities of alewives. The largest output of shad 
was in 1904, when 8,850 were taken. The catch of alewives in this 
river was 6,736,000 in 1909 and 3,608,950 in 1915. 
71824—17 3 



66 REPORT OF THE COMMISSION Hi; OF FISHERIES. 

The decreased ran of shad and aiewives in the Chesapeake Ba} 7 
basin of Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania in 1915 resulted in 
a noticeable decline in the amount of all forms of apparatus used for 
their capture. 

In Virginia the catch of shad in 1915, compared with 1909, de- 
creased 1,316,066 pounds, or 21.82 per cent in quantity, but increased 
$169,674, or 34.74 per cent, in value, and the catch of aiewives 
decreased 11,733,850 pounds, or 42.22 per cent in quantity, and 
increased $37,575, or 29.26 per cent, in value. 

The pound nets fished in Virginia in these waters during the season 
of 1915, compared with 1909, show a decrease of 31, but the number 
of gill nets increased from 7,121 in 1909 to 16,793 in 1915. The total 
catch of shad in Virginia during the year was 1,629,872 in number, or 
4,714,134 pounds, valued at $658,010, and that of aiewives was 
40,135,328 in number, or 16,054,130 pounds, valued at $165,950. 

In the Potomac River there were but two seines fished during the 
season of 1915 for herring and shad — one on the Maryland side at 
Chapmans Point and the other on the Virginia side at Stony Point. 
There are very few pound nets along the Maryland side of this river, 
but quite a number of large traps on the Virginia side off Northum- 
berland County near the mouth. The alewife fisheries of Westmore- 
land County were quite extensive up to a few years ago, and it was in 
this county that the canning of the roe originated. Several large 
packing houses were located in this county as recently as 1909, but 
now there is but one, and that very small. There are a number of 
large packing houses in that part of Northumberland County bor- 
dering on the Potomac, or rather in Coan River and Yeocomico River, 
which are tributary to the Potomac. Both aiewives and roe are 
packed in large quantities at these points. Drift gill nets are not 
fished for shad below Maryland Point, and from this place they are 
used in various locations up to Jones Point, a short distance below 
Alexandria. The gill-net catch of 1915 was reported by fishermen 
as the lightest they had ever taken, and many of them made little 
more than expenses. Some fishermen of Northumberland County 
along the Potomac reported the herring and shad catch for 1915 as 
very gratifying and thought that it was the best they have had for 
several seasons. 

The total number of pound nets fished in Virginia during the year 
was 2,012, valued at $408,675. Of these, 527, or about 26 per cent, 
valued at $107,200, were fished by Mathews County fishermen. 
Elizabeth City County ranks second in the number of pound nets, 
having 317, valued at $73,900; Accomac County third, with 273 nets, 
valued at $48,150: followed by Northumberland County with 269, 
valued at $73,250, and Gloucester County with 204, valued at $33,100. 
The catch for 1915 showed a great many more bucks than for the 
average year, and many of these were smaller than usual. This 
seemed to be the case on all parts of the bay. 

En the James River stake gill nets are the leading form of apparatus 
used for shad fishing. The only drifting grounds remaining are 
located quite a distance up the river, and the catch with drift nets 
was negligible in the 1915 season. During the summer of 1909, when 
a canvass of the shad fisheries was made on this river, very few stake 
nets were found above Ferguson's Wharf, now called Rushmere, 
located in Isle of Wight County about 12 miles above Newport News. 



REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 67 

Such nets are now found at various points up as far as Tar Bay, near 
Coggins Point, within a short distance of the mouth of Appomattox 
River. The shad run appeared in 1915 about March 15 to 20, though 
a few stray fish were seen earlier, and the gill-net fishing was prac- 
tically over by the third or fourth week in May. Gill nets can not 
be used after the water is warm enough to start the crabs, as these 
hang in the nets and interfere too much with the handling of them. 
The run was much lighter than usual, but the greater part of the gill- 
net catch was roe fish, and the high price received partly made up 
for the decrease in the catch. 

The apparatus used in the Chiekahominy River consists entirely of 
seines and drift gill nets, and the catch includes shad and other 
species. Pound nets are not permitted in this river. 

In the Rappahannock River stake gill nets having 2f-inch mesh 
are fished during the winter for perch and discontinued when the 
shad season opens. The shad nets are then used on the same stands, 
being the same length as the perch nets but of a larger mesh. Herring 
do not usually figure in the catch of the perch nets, but there was an 
early run of branch herring in 1915 and some of the nets made fairly 
good catches. The fishermen received as high as $20 per thousand 
for these early herring. Some herring are caught also in the small 
pound nets in this river, and the average price for these was about 
$10 per thousand. 

The number of persons engaged in the shad and alewife industries 
of Chesapeake Bay and tributaries in 1915 was 8,839, of whom 6,612 
were fishermen and 2,227 were employed in shore industries. The 
investment in boats, fishing apparatus, shore and accessory property, 
and cash capital amounted to $1,528,824. The products of these 
fisheries aggregated 2.129,486 shad in number, or 6,225,549 pounds, 
valued at .$857,771, and 71 ,571,278 alewives in number, or 28,628,510 
pounds, valued at $297,899, a total value for both species of 
$1,155,670. Compared with the returns for 1909, there was a de- 
crease of 258 in the number of pound nets and an increase of 7,968 
in the number of gill nets operated. The catch of shad decreased 
3,114,219 pounds, but increased $88,322 in value, and the catch of 
alewives decreased 22,803,590 pounds and increased $13,855 in value. 

Statistics by States of the shad and alewife industry of Chesapeake 
Bay and tributaries in 1915, and also comparative statistics for Mary- 
land and Virginia for various years from 1880 to 1915, and by waters 
for certain years from 1896 to 1915, are given in detail in the following 
tables. 



68 



REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 



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69 



65,880 

88,347 

202, 173 
54,006 

1,331 

117,367 






11,283,000 
3,544,800 

24, 093 

1,318,459 






56, 185 
8,862,000 

27, 144 

1,191,048 


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158,895 

45,162 

83,321 






7,191,600 

2,895,080 

944,055 






35,958 

'7,237,700 

839, 160 


34, 195 

32,378 

103, 278 
8,844 

1,331 

34, 046 






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649, 720 

24,093 

374, 404 






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1,624,300 

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71 



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72 



REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 



\r\ini.i; of Pound Nets, the Catch of Shad and Axewives, and the Average 
Catch of Each Species per Net for Certain Sections ok Chesapeake I -ay 
a.nd Potomac River, L915. 



Localil 5 



Num- 
ber of Number 
pound of shad. 
nets. 



From Cape Henry to Tue Point (lower side of York 

River mouth ) 

From York Spit (inclusive) to Stingray Point 

From Rappahannock Spit (inclusive) to Smith Point 
Potomac River 



19(3 i 268,374 

623 191,196 

276 t 291,206 

211 147,271 



Number 

of 

alew ives 



1,974,490 
4,437,345 

21,667,166 
7,336,000 



Average 
number 

Of shad 
to net. 



541 

772 

1,054 

i ■■<>: 



Average 
number 
of ale- 
wives to 
net. 



3.9S0 
7,122 
78. 504 
34, 700 



COASTAL FISHERIES OF NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY. 



Following a conference with the fishery authorities of the States 
of New York and New Jersey in January, 1916, regarding the con- 
dition of the coastal fisheries of those States and the measures neces- 
sary for their conservation, the Bureau undertook, by request, the 
canvass of those fisheries so that their actual extent might bo known. 
The ilpld work was completed in June and the results of the canvass 
were communicated to those interested. The figures related to the 
calendar year 1915 and covered only fishes proper. 

In New York the number of persons engaged in the coastal fisheries 
was 2,504, and the investment in vessels, boats, fishing apparatus, 
and shore and accessory property was $1,771,106. The products 
amounted to 34,047,775 pounds of fish, valued at $1,121,641. Some 
of the more important species taken were bluefish, 6,107,113 pounds, 
valued at $492,928; butterfish, 1,244,475 pounds, valued at $51,636; 
cod, 1,259,160 pounds, valued at $59,400; eels, 426,330 pounds, 
valued at $34,387; flounders, 3,440,053 pounds, valued at $96,337; 
mackerel, 342,489 pounds, valued at $25,620; menhaden, 14,518,812 
pounds, valued at $100,935; scud, 1,026,736 pounds, valued at 
$44,447; sea bass, 973,686 pounds', valued at $44,894; and sque- 
teague^ 1,859,143 pounds, valued at $98,324. 

In New Jersey there were 2,303 persons employed in the coasta] 
fisheries, and the investment amounted to $1,192,057. The products 
aggregated 47,856,176 pounds of fish, valued at $1,348,667. The 
species taken in largest quantities were bluefish, 2,728,779 pounds, 
valued at $177,906; butterfish, 5,462,917 pounds, valued at $151,677; 
cod. 679,133 pounds, valued at $31,896; croaker, 2,084,719 pounds, 
valued at 847, 300: eels. 377,09s pounds, valued at $28,257; flounders, 
1,531,376 pounds, valued at $58,443; mackerel, H67,307 pounds, 
value. 1 at $20,161 ; menhaden, 4,354,789 pounds, valued at $36,602; 
scup, 3,279,693 pounds, valued at 89 1,776; sea bass. 0,171.922 pounds, 
valued at $203,163; squeteague, 14,121,330 pounds, valued at 
$358,977; and whiting. 2,407,217 pounds, valued at $36,367. 

The statistic- of these fisheries, by counties, are given in detail in 
the following table; 



REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 



73 



Statistics of Coastal Fisheries of New York and New Jersey, by Counties, 
Exclusive of Shellfish, 1915. 



NEW YORK. 



Items. 


Kings, New York, 
Queens, and Rich- 
mond Counties. 


Nassau County. 


Suffolk County. 


Total. 


Persons engaged.. 
Vessels fishing 

Tonnage 

Outfit 


Number. 

841 

57 

2,576 


Value. 


Number. 

119 

4 

32 


Value. 

$5,850 

620 


Number. 

1,544 

S4 

2,371 


Value. 


Number. 

2,504 

145 

4,979 


Value. 


$306,395 


$763,896 


$1,076,141 


145,225 


49, 256 
52, 720 


195 101 


Vessels trans- 






21 
266 


21 
266 


52,720 












Outfit 








2,240 

16, 160 

112,025 

114,215 

37,010 

11,670 

24, 152 

1/838 

3,815 

5,503 

112 

63,585 


2, 240 


Sail, row, and 

house boats 

Gasoline boats... 


11 

4 
4 

20 
100 


225 
2, 850 

2, son 

17, 900 
1,100 


39 
34 


890 
14,750 


474 
282 
460 
117 
469 
5,373 


524 
320 
464 
160 
653 
5,373 


17,275 
129, 625 
117,015 


Seines 

Gill nets 


23 

S4 


i,'m 
3,375 


.56, 083 
16, 145 




24, 152 






4,500 




635 


6,973 









156 

5.055 


156 
5,695 


3,815 


Eelpots 


250 


275 


390 


430 
2,276 

1,050 


6,208 
2,388 


Shore and acces- 




650 








65 285 










Total 





481,920 




31,049 




1,258,197 




1,771,166 












Products: 

Albacore and 
horse 


Pounds. 
430 

11,000 

5, 790, 205 

1,054 

60,000 


Valuf. 
$25 
140 

466, 522 

100 

1,800 


Pounds. 


Value. 


Pound},-. 

4,451) 

523,605 

289, 708 

11,795 

1, 184, 475 

102,300 

334, 785 

10,000 

387,800 

3, 296, 930 

49,550 

52, 725 

7,200 

31,005 

326,329 

11,880,712 

5, 113 

138,250 

800 

35,540 

515.260 

553, 423 

97, 905 

14,705 

19,225 

204,463 

4,450 

20 

1,500 

1,209,939 

556,425 

14.700 

3,826 

241 

511,225 

7,362 

98,100 


Value. 

$129 

7,214 

23, 716 

1,157 

49,836 

7,592 

16, 995 

350 

30,460 

92, 259 

2,573 

1,238 

60 

3,170 

24,022 

81,568 

203 

1.023 

96 

1,465 

23,873 

27,996 

1,251 

1,365 

192 

1,360 

1,320 


60 

72,825 

8,306 

2.460 

673 

248 

370 

756 

3,989 


Pounds. 

4,880 

535, 105 

6, 107, 113 

13, 149 

1,244,475 

102, 300 

1.259,160 

24, 949 

426, 330 

3,440,053 

85, 591 

63, 269 

7,200 

31,094 

342, 489 

14,518,812 

5,113 

146,250 

800 

81,710 

1,026,736 

973, 686 

100, 562 

19,955 

40, 200 

212,163 

6,750 

599 

1,500 

1, 859, 143 

557,625 

16,900 

3,826 

241 

50,225 

7, 362 

99, 081 

183,484 

70. 157 

28, 200 

19,400 

329, 925 

213 


Value. 
$154 


Alewives 
Bhiefish 


500 

27, 200 
300 


$10 

2,690 

30 


7,364 

492, 928 

1,287 

51,636 








7, 592 


Tod 


723, 375 
14,949 

5,630 
28, 123 
34,041 

2,044 


32, 855 
336 
532 
838 
1,238 
63 


261,666 


9,550 


59, 400 




686 


Eel 

Flounders 

Haddock 
Hake 


32, 900 

115,000 

2,000 

8,500 


3, 395 

3, 240 

100 

200 


34,387 

96,337 

3,911 

1,501 

60 


Kingfish 
Mackerel 
Menhaden 


89 

9,360 

2, 632, 100 


18 

968 

19, 307 






3,188 


6,800 
6,000 


630 
60 


25,620 

100, 935 

203 








8,000 


40 


1,063 


Pike 






96 


Pollock 

Scup.orporgy 
Sea bass 


16, 170 

511,476 

270, 263 

2,657 

5,250 

20,975 

7,700 

529 


529 

20, 574 

14, 398 

29 

785 
S4 
77 

162 


30,000 


900 


2,894 
44,447 


150,000 


2, 500 


44,894 
1,280 


Shad . 






2, 150 








276 








1,437 


Smelt 

Spanish mack- 
erel 

Spot 


2,300 
50 


350 

10 


1,670 

174 
60 


Squeteague... 
Squid 


592, 254 
1,200 


22. 477 
12 


56, 950 


3,022 


98, 324 
8,318 


2,200 


344 


2,804 






673 


S t ur geo n 








248 


Swellfish 








370 










756 


Tau tog 

Tilefish 


881 
a 183,484 


38 

7,748 


100 


5 


4,032 

7,748 








70, 157 
28,200 
19, 400 
128,925 
213 


2,716 
2,220 

2,038 

3,742 

12 


2,716 










2,220 










2,038 




1,000 


10 






3,752 








12 












Total 


10,926,239 


591,665 


649, 800 


27,076 


22,471,736 


502,900 


34,047,775 


1,121,641 



a Landed by New York vessels and does not include tilefish landed at New York by vessels from other 
ports. 

71824—16 4 



74 



REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 



Statistics of Coastal Fisheries of New York and New Jersey, by Counties. 
Exclusive of Shellfish, 1915 — Continued. 

NEW JERSEY. 



Items. 


Atlantic County. 


Bergen and 

Hudson 

Counties." 


Cape May County. 


Middlesex 
County. 


Persona engaged 

Vessels fishing 


Number. 
298 

19 

:; 19 


Value. 
171,485 


Number. 
43 


Value. 


Number. 

680 

25 

330 


Value. 


Number. 
54 


Value. 


$74,690 




Tonnage 








Outfit 


•25, 130 
3,500 






32, 725 
.50 




Vessels transporting 


2 
15 






1 
10 












Outfit 


45 

1,720 

12,250 

1,950 

1,722 

1,785 

460 

375 

624 

45 










Sail, row, and house 


63 
34 

3 

42 
45 
11 

15 


16 

4 


$742 
900 


38 
130 

58 
21 
192 
48 


ISO 

69,600 
128,325 

3,988 
15,912 

2,050 


21 

s 
1 
10 


$900 




round nets 


600 




5 
10 
20 


215 

1,315 

400 


4 175 


< Jill nets 






4 


200 


Bag nets 


Lines 




to 

6 
75 

1,436 




3,186 

325 




Eelpots 


50 


4 


202 


98 


98 


Other apparatus 




Shore and accessory 
property 




2,420 






38,840 




550 














Total 




123,511 




5,099 




370,171 




8,923 












Products: 

Albacore and horse 
mackerel 


Pounds. 
800 
13,882 

163,664 

800 

49, 205 


Value. 

$11 

329 

12,004 

48 

1,041 


Pounds. 


Value. 


Potmds. 

10, 220 

29,500 

874,335 

17, 469 

2,166,453 


Value. 

$172 

474 

53,620 

S57 
61,712 


Pounds. 


Value. 




300 


$30 


7,500 

18,900 


$100 
915 




Bonito 








Butterfish 












10,650 


1,157 


12,500 


1 100 


Cod 


201,000 

297, 278 

480 

5,875 

68,744 


9,330 

6, 188 

5 

419 

2,728 


261,870 

1,063,735 

5,550 

42,885 

318,044 

200 

1,249 

17,429 

148,232 

101,381 

34,750 

500 

325 

1,887,117 

3,943,624 

170 

10,198 

89,180 


12,842 

24,515 

63 

4,669 

11,748 

10 

37 

1,925 

10,509 

598 

990 

50 

4 

53, 090 

123, 796 

20 

143 

911 




Croaker 










Drum 










Kel 


8,025 


670 


1,800 
4,400 


127 


Flounders 


197 


Haddock 








Hake 


200 

24,068 

152, 125 

1,200,000 

5,500 


3 

2,150 

10,S60 

14,000 

103 










Kingflsh 










Mackerel 








Menhaden 






112,569 


236 


Mullet, fresh 
















Pollock 












Scup, or porgy 


840, 400 

1,522,238 

115 


25, 109 

49, 280 

19 
















Shad 


20, 104 


2,674 


1,705 


312 






Skates 


1,200 


11 








Smelt 






6,000 


1,200 


Spanish mackerel.. 










270 

13,085 

4,331,759 

289, 826 


39 

304 

122, 331 

3,617 


Spot 


4,175 

1,634,099 

500 

7,080 


132 

42,613 

6 

1,384 






2,000 
8S,200 


60 








3,013 


Squid 






Striped bass 






200 


25 








65 


4 




Suckers 


3, 550 

600 

27, 159 


226 

12 

2,373 


15,000 


1,645 




Tautog 


760 

1,575 

2,000 

450 

180 


19 
145 
33 
22 
19 




White perch 






75 


6 


Whiting 








Yellow perch 


165 
1,200 


15 
83 








other fish 


5,035 


495 








Total 


6,226,082 


180, 782 


59, 114 


6,671 


15,664,386 


491,288 


255, 849 


7,291 



a Includes men, boats, apparatus, and shore properly employed and catch of fish taken in Upper New 
York Bay and Hackensack River, and also men, boats, apparatus, and shore property employed and 
•catch of shad taken in Hudson Kiver. 



REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 



75 



Statistics of Coastal Fisheries of New York and New Jersey, by Counties, 
Exclusive of Shellfish, 1915 — -Continued. 

NEW JERSEY— Continued 



Items. 


Monmouth County. 


Ocean and Burling- 
ton Counties. 


Total. 




Number. 

582 

3 

38 


Value. 

$7, 300 


Number. 

646 

1 

6 


Value. 


Number. 

2, 303 

48 

723 


Value. 




$1,500 


$154,975 






Outfit 


3, 9(H) 
11,000 


SO 


61,835 




2 
21 




5 
46 


14,650 










Outfit 


1,450 
1,655 
78, 150 
83,090 
2, I in 
8,050 
1.430 






1,495 




67 

179 
65 

8 
155 
103 


206 
154 
47 
46 
1,359 
778 
75 


10, 436 
55, 10(1 

127, Mill 

2,41(1 

10, 626 

5,660 

1,900 

725 

20 

2,685 

30 

144,035 


411 
:,ll! 1 
174 
132 
1,761 
970 
90 


15,933 




218, 400 




341,765 




14,950 


Gill nets 


37,688 




10, 200 




2,275 






2, 327 


6,872 






1 
3, 461 


1 

5,239 


20 




1,424 


1,822 
118,725 


4,981 




112 










306,006 












Total 




321,346 




363,007 




1,192,057 












Products: 

Albacore and horse mackerel 


Pounds* 

14,255 

214,270 

1,402,898 

23,175 

711, S81 


Value. 
$654 

2, 153 
87, 697 

1,908 
22, 297 


Pound.s. 

44,987 

351,865 

268, 982 

75,878 

2,535,37S 


Value. 
$1,095 

3,779 
21,670 

6,291 
66, 627 


Pounds. 

70, 262 

617,297 

2, 728, 779 

117,322 

5,462,917 

23, 150 

679, 133 

2,084,719 

14,630 

377, 698 

1,531,376 

10,000 

200 

1, 168, 625 

3,500 

60,597 

367,307 

4,354,789 

63,000 

500 

12,824 

35,432 

3, 279, 693 

0,171,922 

76,875 

42, 137 

112,548 

513,566 

6,000 

1,055 

66, 660 

14,121,330 

973,671 

14,648 

3,353 

270 

27,250 

45,010 

30 

5,800 

7:>o 

164,939 

2,407,217 

615 

6,780 


Value. 
$1,932 
6,865 


Bluefish 

Bonito 

Butterfish 


177,906 

9,104 

151,677 

2, 257 


Cod 

Croaker 


122, 908 
288,080 
8,61)0 
131, 238 
373, Il.'i 
40,000 


5,697 
7, 178 
86 
9,161 
15, 297 
125 


93,355 
435, 626 


4,027 
9, 185 


31,896 

47,366 

154 


Eel 


187, 875 

766, 773 


13,211 
28,473 


28,257 
58,443 




125 








10 




727, 493 

3,500 

5,910 

50, 175 

2,765,830 

22, 750 


9,305 
165 
904 

3,490 

20, 142 

910 


439,683 


4,638 



13, 9 S3 




165 




13, 190 
16,775 
175,009 


2,188 
1,302 
1,626 


7,167 




26, 161 




36, 602 




2,003 








50 


Pollock 


3,500 

35,432 

164,950 

327,800 

35,500 

12,813 

84,550 

272,470 


111 

717 
5,992 
10,339 

425 
2,183 

74S 
1,600 


8,999 


267 


382 




717 




387, 226 
378, 260 
41,375 

7, 230 

17,800 

150, 716 


10, 585 

13,748 

620 

1,060 

175 

857 


94,776 




203, 163 




1,045 


Shad 


6.268 




1,066 




3,379 




1,200 




164 

18,950 

3,055,048 

157,370 

220 

2,78S 

270 


34 

431 

80,973 

2,125 

44 

435 

272 


621 

28,450 

5,012,224 

525,975 

7,148 

500 


109 

740 

104,047 

7,082 

1,770 

50 


182 


Spot 


1,667 




35S, 977 




12,830 




3,223 




489 




272 




8,700 
3,000 


586 

105 


2,457 




40, 650 

30 

5,800 

750 


1,772 
3 

80 
33 


1.908 




3 


Toadfish 






80 








33 




136,130 
650,222 


12. 881 
9,698 


15, 405 




1,754,995 


26,636 


36,367 




37 








365 


21 


618 










Total 


12,880,428 


334,122 


12,770,317 


328,513 


47,856,176 


1,348,667 







76 



REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 



SHAD FISHERY OF THE HUDSON RIVER. 

In connection with the canvass of the coastal fisheries of New York 
and New Jersey the shad fishery of the Hudson River was covered for 
the years 1915 and 1916. The statistics are given in the following 
table, showing for the latter year 119 fishermen, 79 gill nets, 3 seines, 
and a catch of 9,287 shad, valued at $5,465. The Hudson was at one 
time one of the great shad streams, its annual output running into 
the hundreds of thousands. Thus, in 1896 the number of shad taken 
was 588,898, valued at $83,237. The present condition of the shad 
fishery is most deplorable. 

Shad Fishery of the Hudson River, 1915 and 1916.° 

1915. 



Items. 


New York. 


New Jersey. 


Total. 


Fishermen 


No. 

133 

81 

2 

79 
2 


Lbs. 


Value. 


No. 
27 

2 
7 


Lbs. 


Value. 


No. 
160 

88 
4 

S6 
2 


Lbs. 


Value. 






$2, 975 

225 

3,984 

190 

528 


, $430 

1 600 

1,035 




$3,405 
825 




Gill nets 


5 019 


Seines 


190 


Shore and accessory property. 






1,230 


1,758 
















Total 






7,902 






3,295 






11, 197 


















Shad caught: 

With gill nets 


11,333 
62 

211 


47, 333 
298 

933 


5, 834 
33 

102 


4, 249 


20, 104 


2,674 


15, 582 
62 

211 


67, 437 
298 

933 


8 508 


With seines 


33 


With other apparatus in- 








102 












Total 


11,606 


48, 564 


5,969 


4,249 


20, 104 


2,674 


15, 855 


68, 668 


8 643 







Fishermen 


108 
64 

2 
76 

3 






11 
3 

1 
3 






119 

67 
3 

79 
3 










82, 240 

225 

2,937 

350 

528 




$195 
350 
480 




$2 435 




'575 




3 417 




350 


Shore and accessory property . 






540 


1,068 














Total 






6,280 






1 , 565 


.. . . i 


7,845 














Shad caught: 


7,536 
191 

60 


31,670 
1,008 

245 


1,399 
99 

42 


1,500 


7,250 


925 


9,036 
191 

60 


38,920 

1 , 90S 

245 


5,324 
99 


With seines 


With other apparatus in- 
cidentally 








42 












Total 


7,787 


32, 923 


4,540 


1,500 


7,250 


925 


9,287 


40,173 


5 465 







a Includes Albany, Columbia, Putehess, Green, Orange, Rermselaer, Rockland, Schuyler, Ulster, and 
Weschester Counties in New York, and Bergen and Hudson Counties in New Jersey. 

NEW ENGLAND VESSEL FISHERIES. 

Statistics of the extensive offshore vessel fisheries centering at 
Boston and Gloucester, Mass., have been collected during the year 
by the local agents, and published in monthly and annual bulletins 
showing, by species and fishing grounds, the quantities and values of 
the fishery products landed by the American fishing vessels at these 
ports. 

The fleet in 1915 was composed of 410 sail, steam, and gasoline 
screw vessels. These vessels landed at Boston 3,772 trips, aggregating 



REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 77 

97,80U,487 pounds of fish, valued at $2,911,314, and at Gloucester 
3,472 trips, aggregating 73,696,24] pounds, valued at $1,826,603. 
The total for the two ports was 7,244 trips, aggregating 171,595,728 
pounds of fresh and salted fish, having a value to the fishermen of 
§4,737,917. Compared with the previous year there was a decrease 
of .351 trips, but an increased production amounting to 0,006,508 
pounds in quantity and $342,887 in value. There was a small de- 
crease in the catch of cod, hut an increase in that of practically all the 
other important species. The value of haddock and cusk wasslightly 
less than that of the previous year. The halibut product increased 
401,100 pounds in quantity and $46,946 in value. The mackerel 
catch increased 6,688,850 pounds, or over 6.3 per cent, in quantity, 
and $259,354, or 73 per cent, in value, There was some decrease in 
the take of Newfoundland herring, but an increase in the value. 
Swordfish. increased 739,123 pounds in quantity and $43,890 in value. 
The following tables present in detail (1) by fishing grounds and 
(2) by months the products of the vessel fisheries of Boston and 
Gloucester during the calendar year 1915. The weights of fresh and 
salted fish given in these statistics represent the rish as landed from the 
vessel.-,, and the values are those received by the fishermen. The 
grades, or sizes, given for certain species are those recognized in the 
trade. 



78 



REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 



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REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 



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92 



REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 



The fish landed at Boston and Gloucester, Mass., by American 
fishing vessels are taken principally from fishing grounds lying off the 
coast of the United States. In 1915, 71.78 per cent of the quantity 
and 70.74 per cent of the value of the catch landed by the American 
fishing fleet at these ports were obtained from these grounds. Of the 
remainder, 9.41 per cent of the quantity and 9.70 per cent of the 
value were taken from fishing banks off the coast of Newfoundland, 
18.73 per cent of the quantity and 19.35 per cent of the value from 
grounds off the Canadian Provinces, and less than 1 per cent of both 
the quantity and value from the coast of Labrador. Newfoundland 
herring constituted 6.58 per cent of the quantity and 5.39 per cent 
of the value of the products landed at these ports during the year. 
The herring were taken on the treaty coasts of Newfoundland, but cod 
and other species from that region were obtained chiefly from fishing 
banks on the high seas. All the fish caught by American fishing ves- 
sels off the Canadian Provinces were from offshore fishing grounds. 
The catch from each of these fishing regions is given in detail in the 
following table: 

Quantity and Value op Fish Landed by American Fishing Vessels at Boston 
and Gloucester, Mass., in 1915, from Grounds Off the Coast of the United 
States, Newfoundland, and Canadian Provinces. 



Species. 



United States. 



Newfoundland." 



Canadian Provinces. 



Total. 



Cod: 

Fresh 

Salted- 

Haddock: 

Fresh 

Salted 

Hake: 

Fresh 

Salted .... 
Pollock: 

Fresh 

Salted 

Cusk: 

Fresh 

Salted 

Halibut: 

Fresh 

Salted 

Mackerel: 

Fresh 

Salted 

Herring: 

Fresh 

Salted 

Swordfish: 

Fresh 

Miscellaneous: 

Fresh 

Salted 



Pounds. 

23,695,413 

1,876,888 

51,712,661 

69, 675 

11,248,569 
24, 713 

12,762,282 
180, 005 

4,550,491 
41,146 

699, 496 
305 

6,534,400 
2, 668, 485 

1,977,620 



1,307,317 
3,830,532 



Total.. 



Value. 

■3689,361 
71,419 

1.185,386 
1,235 

232, 237 

428 

246,213 
3,113 

71,946 
1,012 

84, 225 
21 

321,778 
190,986 

20, 381 



Pounds. ' Value. 

484,815 I $9,962 

3,009,390 105,146 



100 
14,075 

54, 860 
91,200 

665 
7,865 

3, 345 
5,387 

1,149,408 
145,665 



145, 155 
87,084 



2.368,150 
8, 930, 800 



2,000 
750 



123,179,998 3,351,980 16,269,343 



1 
246 

704 
1,450 

12 
138 

52 
133 

84, 014 
11,304 



Povnds. 
9, 907, 896 
6.081,495 

6, 100, 289 
46,844 

3, 285, 886 
184, 712 

198, 366 
46, 770 

1,681,965 
48,410 

1,735,271 
140, 540 

S10, 174 
905,343 



68, 945 
186, 783 



930, 782 
41,644 



469, 024 



32,146.387 



Value. 

$189,529 

207,543 

120,065 



44, 529 
3,129 

2,963 
819 

24,005 
1,202 

133,548 
10, 184 

61,238 
40, 077 



76, 336 
866 



916,913 



Pounds. 
34,088,124 
10, 967, 773 

57,813,050 
130, 594 

14,589,315 
300, 625 

12,961,313 
234, 640 

6, 235, 801 
94, 943 

3. 584. 175 
286, 510 

7,344,574 
3, 573, 828 

4,345,770 
8, 930, 800 

2,238,967 

3. 874. 176 
750 



171,595,728 



Value. 

$888, 852 
384, 108 

1,305,452 
2,361 

277, 470 
5,007 

249, 188 
4,070 

96,003 
2,347 

301,787 
21,509 

383, 016 
231,063 

89, 326 
186, 783 

221,559 

87, 980 
36 



4,737,917 



"Includes 17,975 pounds of salted cod, valued at $617, and 102,151 pounds of salted halibut, valued at 
$8,673, from the Labrador coqst. 

Cod. — In 1915 there were 33 vessels employed in the salt-bank 
fishery and 102 in the market fishery landing their fares at Boston and 
Gloucester. Considerable cod was landed also by vessels operating 
on shore grounds. There were landed at these ports 45,055,897 
pounds of fresh and salted cod, 34,088,124 pounds of the former and 
10,967,773 pounds of the latter, valued at $1,272,960, against 
47,529,625 pounds in 1914, of which 36,079,873 pounds were fresh and 



REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 93 

11,449,752 pounds salted, valued at $1,359,416. There was, there- 
fore, a decrease in the quantity in 1915, as compared with the previ- 
ous year, of 1,991,749 pounds in the fresh and 481,979 pounds in the 
salted cod landed. 

Several large fares of cod were caught during the season of 1915. 
A trip amounting to 359,483 pounds taken on trawl lines was landed 
at Gloucester in July, and one of the dory hand-line fleet brought in 
478,365 pounds in September, this being the largest fare taken since 
1909, when the same vessel weighed off 479,433 pounds. 

Haddock. — The haddock fishery in 1915 was carried on with about 
the same success as in the previous year. The quantity of haddock 
landed was 57,943,644 pounds, valued at SI, 307, 813, an increase over 
the previous year of 189,516 pounds in quantity and a decrease of 
$73,343 in value. The catch of haddock by line trawlers landed at 
Boston amounted to 30,776,733 pounds, of which 16.57 per cent were 
"scrod." The greater part of the scrod haddock brought in by line 
trawlers came from the inshore grounds, the offshore banks supplying 
a greater proportion of large haddock. On the inshore grounds the 
amount of scrod haddock taken varied from 18 to 22 per cent of the 
total catch and on the offshore grounds from 2 to 8 per cent. 

Pollock. — The pollock fishery, which in recent years has supported 
a considerable fleet of small craft employing purse seines as a means of 
capture, was carried on with greater success than in 1914. The total 
catch of pollock landed at Boston and Gloucester, including those 
taken on hand and trawl lines and in gill nets, was 13,195,953 pounds, 
having a value of $253,258, an increase of 741,230 pounds in quantity 
and $53,522 in value compared with 1914. As in previous years, 
most of the pollock landed by purse seiners and gill netters were 
caught in spring and fall months. 

Halibut. — In the last few years the halibut fishery on the Atlantic 
coast has fluctuated but little. The yield of fresh and salted halibut 
in 1915 was 3,870,685 pounds, 3,584,175 pounds of the former and 
286,510 pounds of the latter, valued at $323,296, an increase of 
491,100 pounds and $46,946 over 1914. The largest catches of this 
species were made on Georges, Browns, La Have, Quereau, Western, 
and Grand Banks, the last-mentioned bank supplying the greatest 
amount. The fishery was conducted throughout the year, but the 
bulk of the 'catch was taken during the early spring and summer 
months. The vessels regularly employed in this fishery numbered 33 
sail, although many of the cod hand-line and trawl-line fishermen fre- 
quently caught halibut in considerable quantities. The usual activity 
was displayed in this fishery in the spring of 1916. At the end of 
May the fleet engaged numbered 26 vessels, and a considerable num- 
ber of fairly large fares were landed. 

The otter-trawl fishery. — This method of fishing, as in 1914, was 
carried on by 12 steamers. With the exception of several trips 
landed at Portland and an occasional trip disposed of at Gloucester 
during such times when there was a glut of fresh haddock in the 
market, the bulk of fish caught by otter trawlers was landed at 
Boston. The year's catch was 21,116,300 pounds, representing 380 
trips, an increase of 8 trips. There were landed from Georges 105 
trips, from South Channel 248, Western Bank 26, and Browns Bank 1. 
As in the previous year, Western Bank was resorted to in March, 
April, and May, when haddock were less plentiful on Georges and 



94 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 

in the South Channel than during the winter months. Of the total 
quantity of fish landed at Boston by this class of vessels, 17,062,732 
pounds were haddock, of which 39.28 per cent were "scrod." The 
great disparity in the landings of small fish by this method as com- 
pared with line trawls is confined wholly to haddock, the large and 
small fish of other species caught by the two methods, such as cod, 
cusk, and hake, being more equally divided. 

On July 20, 1915, the otter trawler East Hampton landed at 
Gloucester 310,000 pounds of fresh fish, most of which were had- 
dock. The largest trip previously brought in was 300,000 pounds, 
caught by the otter trawler Long Island. These were the largest 
fares ever taken by American otter trawlers. 

Mackerel. — The amount of salted mackerel taken in 1915 was 
19,691 barrels, exceeding the catch of the previous year by 4,170 
barrels. The catch off the New England coast was 15,480 barrels 
and on the Cape Shore, including a few fares from the Gulf of St. 
Lawrence, 4,211 barrels, or 750 barrels less than was taken in those 
regions in 1914. The total catch of fresh mackerel by the fleet was 
71,564 barrels, compared with 68,582 barrels the previous season. 
The number of fresh mackerel taken on the Cape Shore was 781,000, 
which exceeded the catch of 1914 by over 200,000 fish. In the fall 
of 1915 several vessels of the seining fleet made phenomenal catches 
in Massachusetts Bay, one vessel making a stock of $6,548 in three 
weeks, at which time it was reported that a much larger body of 
mackerel was on the coast than had been observed for several years. 

The mackerel fishery in the spring of 1916 showed a marked 
improvement over that of 1915, the catch up to May 15 being nearly 
double the amount recorded the previous season on the same date. 
Three vessels of the seining fleet stocked over $9,000 each and one 
$11,246, the last-mentioned stock being $2,361 more than the highest 
made by a single vessel to the end of May, 1915. There were engaged 
in the southern mackerel fishery 24 seiners and 58 netters. Fifteen 
of the latter sailed from Gloucester and 43 from other ports. The 
number of seiners was one less than in 1915, but there was an increase 
of 41 netters. A portion of the seining fleet sailed on March 24, 
but none of the netters sailed until April 25. The first mackerel of 
the season of 1916, amounting to 7 barrels, were caught on April 5 
about 80 miles east by south from Cape Henlopen, or practically 
in the same locality where the first fish were encountered the previous 
season. The fish were landed at Lewes, Del., from which place they 
were shipped to New York by rail. Other small trips were caught 
in the same region within a few days, but the first fare of any con- 
siderable size was landed at Xew York on April 26, one vessel bringing 
in 41,800 fish, followed the next day by the arrival of 6 vessels with 
trip-- ranging from 6,000 to 40,000 fish; From this time until the 
middle of May the supply of mackerel in the New York market was 
about equal to the demand. For the week ended May 3 the amount 
of fresh mackerel landed was 553,000 in number, mostly large and 
medium, compared with 268,576 fish last year, which were mostly 
small. Many of the Large mackerel in April sold for 40 cents each. 
The average price ranged from 12 to 20 cents for large and medium, 
while tinkers brought from 3 to 6 cents a pound. 

On May 31 there were 1,200 mackerel landed at Boston, the first 
fare of the season. Four vessels of the seining fleet sailed for the 



REPOKT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 95 

Cape Shore May 25, and on June 6 the number had increased to 24 
sail. The first mackerel of the season from this region were landed at 
Boston on June 9, the trip consisting of 10,000 large and 35,000 
medium fresh mackerel and 170 barrels salted. On June 10 there 
were 3 other arrivals from the Cape Shore with fares taken off Halifax 
and Liverpool, the combined catch amounting to 125,000 of mixed 
fresh mackerel and 230 barrels salted. At that time there were 15 
other seiners on the ground, all of which captured schools of mackerel. 
Mackerel were reported plentiful on the Cape Shore until June 21, and 
many large trips were taken. The highest stock made by a single 
vessel in this region was $6,343, which is the largest recorded for one 
trip in recent years. Fish were also abundant (luring the month on 
grounds in the vicinity of No Mans Land, the entire fleet of seiners 
and netters fishing in that locality doing well. 

Swot-elfish. — This species was more plentiful in 1915 than in the 
previous year, and 2,238,967 pounds, having a value of $221,559, 
were landed at Boston and Gloucester, an increase of 739,123 pounds 
and $43,860 over 1914. There were 42 vessels engaged in the fishery, 
operating mostly on the more eastern grounds, although some good 
catches were made on Georges, Nantucket Shoals, and adjacent 
grounds. On July 20, 17 vessels landed at the Boston Fish Pier 
1,126 swordfish that had been taken on Georges. This was probably 
the greatest number of swordfish ever landed at an American port 
in one day. 

Winter gill-net fishery. — The winter gill-net fishery practically 
ceased at the end of May. A fleet of 30 vessels was employed at 
Gloucester during the season, and there were a few vessels that oper- 
ated out of other ports. Fishing was conducted on the inshore 
grounds along the New England coast from Cape Ann to Portland. 
As in previous years, the principal species taken by this method 
were cod, haddock, and pollock. While the fleet as a whole did not 
meet with the same degree of success as in some years past, the 
fishery was an improvement over the previous season. Several 
good stocks were made, one vessel making $30,000, with a share of 
$1,500 to each member of the crew. This was probably the highest 
record ever attained in one season by a vessel engaged in the winter 
gill-net fishery. 

Italian fishing boats. — The number of Italian motor boats fishing 
out of Boston and landing their catch at that port has increased in the 
last few years. At the present time there are approximately 200 
boats of this class engaged in the shore fisheries, all of which are too 
small for registration, being under 5 tons, and in consequence their 
catch is not recorded in the Boston and Gloucester bulletins. These 
boats take a variety of species and operate several kinds of fishing 
gear, namely, trawl lines, hand lines, and drag seines. 

Some ten years ago the catch of this class of boats consisted largely 
of flounders, but in the last few years greater efforts have been made 
to capture other species of ground fish, such as cod, haddock, cusk, 
hake, etc. Mackerel also have been taken to some extent. In 1915 
the Italian catch landed at Boston, and sold through the New England 
Fish Exchange, was over 3,500,000 pounds of fish, valued at $135,000. 
The catch consisted largely of cod, haddock, pollock, hake, and cusk. 
The amount of flounders landed was about 36,000 pounds. 



96 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 

PACIFIC HALIBUT AND COD FISHERIES. 

The halibut banks off Oregon and Washington, recently surveyed 
by the steamer Albatross, were resorted to during the month of June, 
1915, by a portion of the halibut fleet sailing out of Seattle, from which 
grounds 26 trips of halibut were taken in that month, comprising 
1,318,000 pounds, valued at $64,623. As halibut were scarce on these 
grounds in the summer months, the remainder of the catch of that 
species landed at Seattle from June to December was- taken from 
banks farther north, extending from Flattery Bank, off the coast of 
Washington, to Portlock Bank, Alaska. This amounted to 13,876,970 
pounds, having a market value of $820,585. In the first half of the 
calendar year 1916, 25 fares were brought from the banks off Oregon 
and Washington, amounting to 931,692 pounds, valued at $77,819. 
The total quantity of halibut landed at Seattle during that period, 
including the catch from banks farther north, was 7,391,384 pounds, 
valued at $608,947, taken in 274 trips. 

According to the Pacific Fisherman, the total catch of halibut on 
the Pacific coast by American vessels in 1915 was 50,238,390 pounds, 
of which 33,133,313 pounds were landed at Seattle, 11,323,500 
pounds in Canadian ports, and 5,781,577 pounds in Alaska, against 
48,902,575 pounds the preceding year, a gain of 1,335,815 pounds. 
The American fleet engaged in this fishery consisted of 100 sail, known 
as "independent" and "company" vessels, there being 89 of the 
former and 11 of the latter, ranging in size from 7 to 196 tons. The 
Canadian fleet comprised 27 vessels, the catch of which amounted to 
16,031,265 pounds, an increase of 1,074,465 pounds over 1914. 

The fleet employed in the cod fishery of the Pacific coast numbered 
20 sail, including 2 vessels engaged in transporting cured fish from the 
shore stations in Alaska. Three regions were represented in the 
fishery — San Francisco by 9 vessels, Puget Sound by 8 vessels, and 
Alaska by 3 vessels. One of the Alaskan vessels was lost in the early 
part of the season. The fleet met with very good success and made 
a catch of 3,798,071 fish, equivalent to 19,092,319 pounds, the fish 
being reckoned at 4h pounds each. The catch fell short of that of 
1914 by 122,831 fish/ or 552,739 pounds. 

The work of collecting statistics of the quantity and value of 
fishery products landed at Seattle, Wash., by American fishing 
vessels was reestablished in June, 1915, by the appointment of a 
local agent at that port. The products landed from July, 1915, to 
June, 1916, comprised 513 trips, including 19,580,163 pounds of 
halibut, valued at $1,330,609, and 948,024 pounds of other species, 
valued at $23,285; a total of 20,528,187 pounds, valued at $1,353,894. 
The monthly receipts by species are shown in the following table: 



REPORT OP THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 



97 



Quantities and Values of Certain Fishery Products Landed at Seattle, 
Wash., by American Fishing Vessels During the Fiscal Year 1916. 



Month. 


Number 
of trips. 


Halibut. 


Cod. 


Black cod. 


1915. 
July 


61 
36 
53 
31 
30 
28 

8 
T 

31 
61 

89 

78 


Pounds. 
2, 700, 430 
1,698,288 
2,172,000 
1, 644, 792 
2,312,527 
1,660,742 

923, 055 

706,931 

815, 209 

1,207,372 

2,024,105 

1,714,712 


Value. 
$152, 859 
92, 253 
132, 496 
103,952 
147,994 
92, 108 

68,049 
47, 669 
82,226 
130, 438 
129, 672 
150,893 


Pounds. 


Value. 


Pounds. 

39,300 

8,860 

332,000 

130,545 

17,000 

26,000 

18,000 
16,232 
16,175 
10,566 
84,955 
200,233 


Value. 

$855 




645 
1,312 


$10 
20 


217 




8,300 
3,164 










425 








650 


1916. 
January 






360 








443 




60 


1 


484 


April 


318 


May 






2,124 


June. 






4,883 








Total 


513 


a 19, 580, 163 


1,330,609 


2,017 


31 


899, 866 


22, 223 







Month. 


Ling cod. 


Rock cod. 


Total. 


1915. 
July 


Pounds. 


Value. 


Pounds. 


Value. 


Pounds. 

2,739,730 

1,708,793 

2,505,312 

1, 785, 337 

2,329,527 

1,686,742 

941, 055 

723, 163 

831,444 

1,235,357 

2,109,060 

1,932,667 


Value. 
$153, 714 








1,000 


$15 


92, 495 








140, 816 
107, 366 








10, 000 


250 


November 






148,419 












92, 758 
68,409 


1916. 










February 










48,112 












82,711 




6,006 


$120 


11,413 


293 


131, 169 


May 


131, 796 


June 


11, 732 


230 


5,990 


123 


156, 129 






Total 


17, 738 


350 


28, 403 


681 


20,528,187 


1,353,894 







a Includes 5,000 pounds of salt halibut, worth $125, landed in August. The remainder of the catch was 
sold fresh. 



PROMOTION OF AMERICAN CAVIAR. 

One of the most valuable of all fishery products is caviar, which 
is prepared from the roe of sturgeon primarily, but also from that of 
the paddlefish of the Mississippi Valley, and sometimes, under appro- 
priate descriptive names, from the eggs of carp, whitefish, and other 
species. The product has always been imported extensively, while it 
is known that suitable material in this country is often wasted through 
ignorance of the fishermen as to the methods of preservation to 
employ. After a suitable investigation of the matter, the Bureau 
issued an economic circular describing in simple language the methods 
which may be efficiently employed by any fisherman. The paper had 
the twofold object of preventing unnecessary waste through ignorance 
or neglect and of awakening a more effective interest in the protection 
of the sturgeon and the paddlefish. 



98 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 

INTRODUCTION OF NEW AQUATIC FOODS. 

One of the most useful ways in which the Bureau of Fisheries can 
Serve the fishermen and the general fish-eating public is to make 
known new sources of aquatic foods and to assist in establishing fish- 
eries and markets therefor. The conspicuous success achieved in the 
case of the sea mussel has been referred to in previous reports. This 
excellent, abundant, accessible, cheap, and widely distributed shell- 
fish, formerly neglected, has now become a staple in certain important 
markets. Various other water products of great prospective value, 
but now largely unutilized, should be exploited as speedily as possible, 
but the limited funds and facilities at the disposal of the Bureau for 
such work make it impossible to conduct an active campaign with 
more than one or two such articles at one time. In the fiscal year 
1916 one hitherto neglected fish has been given a permanent and im- 
portant place in the fisheries and fish trade by the Bureau's efforts, and 
a campaign of great prospective consequence has been inaugurated 
with reference to several others. 

In October, 1915, the Bureau undertook to popularize the tilefish in 
the belief that it is a fish of great prospective food value. Its utili- 
zation had been advocated years ago, but the efforts to introduce it 
were not sufficiently comprehensive or sustained to bring success, and 
the fish in reality came into some disrepute because of the failures that 
attended the attempts to give it a commercial status. The task con- 
fronting the Bureau was to induce fishermen to catch the fish, dealers 
to handle the fish, and the public to consume the fish, and to bring all 
this about simultaneously. The effective methods pursued made it 
possible for the Government to withdraw from the campaign within 
one month and to intrust future developments to private enterprise. 

The essential feature of the exploit was the chartering of a regular 
fishing vessel with practical fishermen as its crew. The auxiliary 
schooner Stranger, of Gloucester, carrying 12 men, was the vessel 
selected for the purpose. The Bureau had guaranteed the Stranger 
$1,500 for one month's service, but in 27 days she caught 38,383 
pounds of tilefish, which, after deducting commissions, sold for 
$2,036.63 ; and not only was the Bureau at no expense whatever for'the 
fishing operations, but the proceeds, taking no account of several thou- 
sand pounds gratuitously distributed for advertising purposes, yielded 
a substantial bonus to the crew over their regular remuneration. 

When the wholesale trade of New York was requested to cooperate 
in the proposed campaign, the unfortunate past stood in the way of 
mmediate acquiescence. "There is no demand for the fish," said 
the dealers, but the Bureau explained that getting the fish and creating 
a demand were its part of the work and that all that was desired of the 
trade was a cheerful willingness to handle the fish to satisfy such de- 
mand as might develop. When the first fare was landed in New York 
on October 22, four or five dealers in Fulton Market rather reluctantly 
agreed to handle the fish, some of which were given away and the re- 
mainder sold for 5 cents per pound. When the fourth trip arrived but 
20 days later, 15 dealers were competing for the fish, which sold for 7 
cents. In the interval a demand had arisen which no large wholesale 
or commission house could afford to ignore. This demand was created 
solely by an advertising campaign which kept the fish constantly be- 



REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 99 

fore the public and concentrated attention on its points of interest 
and excellence. Newspapers were furnished items recounting the 
unusual history of the fish — its discovery, practical extermination, 
and reappearance; incidents in the campaign were exploited: fish 
were more or less conspicuously supplied to prominent persons; lead- 
ing hotels and restaurants were induced to give the tilefish prominence 
on their menus; a great motion-picture company placed a camera 
man on the Stranger 1 and exhibited motion pictures of the fishery as a 
feature of its weekly news reel; and the Bureau's own advertising 
matter was distributed freely. 

The propaganda conducted in behalf of this fishery covered practi- 
cally the entire field. The fishing grounds were found and pointed 
out to fishermen; a regular commercial fishing vessel was engaged 
to demonstrate the financial yield of this fishery under regular indus- 
trial conditions; the wholesale trade was enlisted in the distribution 
of the fish; the retailer was furnished with attractive display adver- 
tising matter calling his customers' attention to the fact that the fish 
was on sale; and the consumer was told about the tilefish and how 
to cook it, and his curiosity and interest were stimulated to the point 
where he wished to try it and asked his dealer for it. As a conse- 
quence, when the Bureau ceased its fishing operations, other vessels 
were already at work, and within 10 days of the landing of the last fare 
by the Stranger eight schooners were either in the fishery or about to 
enter it and by the end of the month had landed in New York about 
156,000 pounds of tilefish. 

The progress of this fishery has far exceeded expectations. While 
New York continues to be the center of the industry, Boston, At- 
lantic City, Newport, and other places have become practically inter- 
ested by putting vessels in the fishery. At the end of June, 1916, the 
New York fleet consisted of 13 vessels making regular trips to the 
fishing grounds, although earlier in the season a number of other ves- 
sels were engaged. The catch has varied from month to month, but 
has shown a general upward trend as increased fares were brought in 
to meet the growing demand, and the yield in June exceeded that 
of any preceding month, aggregating over 1,221,000 pounds landed 
at New York in 28 fares. A new record was made in July, 1916, when 
2,200,000 pounds were landed at New York, 230,000 at Boston, and 
various minor fares at other ports. 

By the end of the fiscal year 1916, when the fishery was only eight 
months old, upward of 4,388,500 pounds of tilefish, which brought 
the fishermen over $210,000, were caught and sold. The monthly 
receipts at New York were as follows : 



Month. Pounds. 



Month. 



November, 191.5. 
December, 1915. 
January, 1916... 
February , 1916.. 
March, 1916 



Pounds. 



156. 500 April, 1916 626,000 

170, 200 May, 1916 620, 000 

398, 000 June, 1916 ! 1, 221, 000 

469,000 . | 

615,000 Total 4,275,700 



The tilefish grounds extend along the edge of the continental shelf 
from a point south of Nantucket to an area east of Atlantic City. 
Few fish have been taken in depths over 100 fathoms, and the best 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

i 111 1 1 H 1 ill II 



100 



REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER 01 



fish are in from 60 to 65 fathoms of water. Ti 1 „ ,- 14 

as to the kind and quality of bait offered them, nxme s^ mu ., umJ 
backs, menhaden, clams, etc., are very acceptable, they will bite 
freely on inferior kinds of bait, making the bait question compara- 
tively easy to solve. 

The fishery has proved a great deal more remunerative than was at 
first expected by most fishermen and is now considered by them as 
being well established. The prices received by the fishermen have at 
times been as high as 7 cents a pound and as low as 1^ cents, the 
average being about 5 cents.- The fish bears shipment perhaps better 
than any other staple fish of the Atlantic coast and now reaches con- 
sumers all over the eastern hah of the country. Some large ship- 
ments have gone as far west as Kansas City. The catch in recent 
months has been at the rate of 20,000,000 pounds per annum. 

Following long consideration and much discussion, the present 
Congress has passed an act, approved June 21, 1916, which provides 
a way of alleviating the losses sustained by the fishermen, more 
especially those of the Atlantic coast, from the ravages of dogfishes. 
The act carries an appropriation of $25,000 to enable the Commis- 
sioner of Fisheries to conduct investigations and experiments to this 
end, and the method of procedure, as recommended by the Bureau 
and understood by Congress, is to make the dogfishes useful. Mistaken 
economic and biological conceptions as to the possibility of bringin 
about the extermination of dogfishes have been abandoned, and at" 
persons now interested in the welfare of the fishermen and the ad- 
vancement of the fisheries are united in the efforts that will be made, 
under authority of law, to convert an injurious and hitherto useless 
article into a valuable asset. While the dogfishes and other sharks 
yield by-products, such as oil, gelatin, and leather, of undoubted 
economic importance, their principal utility comes through their 
known value as food. The task before the Bureau is to overcome the 
deep-seated prejudice that exists against these fishes and to determine 
the ways and means for creating a demand for fresh and preserved 
dogfish that will react on the fishermen and enable them to market 
their catch at a profit. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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P H8.5 



